And We All Have Hell
by Racholasj
Summary: "Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime whimpered. "Yes, Inoue, I'm here. It's over, I promise you, it's over," he said quietly. "It hurts..." she said, holding her heart. Ichigo grimaced, and looked away from the girl in his arms. The image was going to kill him.
1. setting the stage

Title: We All Have Hell

Disclaimer: Do not own.

Warning: MATURE rating, not for this chapter, but for future ones.

Enjoy!

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"But you've got to go! It won't be the same without you there, Kurosaki-kun." Begged Orihime Inoue, her eyes the size of saucers with her bottom lip tucked into her teeth. She was impossible to disappoint.

"Ugh, fine. I'll go, but I promise to hate every minute of it." Ichigo grumbled, running a hand through his spiky hair. He hated group functions, especially ones that involved loud music and dancing.

"That's the spirit, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime smiled, completely ignoring the latter part of his sentence. Her eyes began to glaze over, looking but not seeing what was right in front of her.

"Keta keta keta, wahaha," she sang quietly under her breath, "foon fooon foon fooooon." Yes, Orihime was lost to her new theme song that had taken over her mind. Ichigo couldn't help but smile at his lovely friend. She was one of a kind, Ichigo knew that for certain.

"Well let's meet up around seven tonight at Orihime's place." Tatsuki said, putting an arm around her ditzy best friend. Orihime continued to hum to herself.

"Can we come too?" A voice asked pleadingly. The voice belonged to Keigo, with Mizuiro following right behind. "Oh please, Ichigooooooooooooo? I promise I won't be annoying!"

"_Don't make promises you can't keep,"_ Ichigo thought to himself. He sighed.

"Ugh, fine. You can come too. Come by my house around 6:30 and then we'll all head over to Inoue's."

"Yay! Thank you Ichigo! I could kiss you right now, I am so happy!" Keigo squealed, jumping up and down.

"Please don't." Ichigo replied, grimacing at the thought.

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"Keigo, for the fifteenth time, _please_ shut up!" Ichigo said, exhaling through his mouth angrily. The whole way to Orihime's apartment, Keigo had been a nuisance, to say in the least. Ichigo was three seconds away from strangling him with his bare hands.

"But Ichigo! I've never been to Inoue-chan's house, this is exciting! You know, she is like the most popular girl to have ever graced Karakura High School!" Keigo ranted, causing Ichigo to let out another sigh.

"It's just Inoue, you've known her since we were fifteen. It doesn't matter how popular she is, she's still the same Inoue." Ichigo said, continuing to walk.

"That may be true, but when we were fifteen she didn't have half as many curves as she does now. Well, I mean, she's always had those amazing boobs, but now she's all toned and womanly, I didn't think it was possible she could get any hotter! And her hair is so flowy! I would love to run my hands through her beautiful locks!" Keigo squeed. Ichigo's temper was beginning to flare at this, and he felt his cheeks tint red.

"Enough! We will not have a discussion about Inoue's figure. Knock it off."

"Well, you _do _have to admit that Inoue-chan has matured quite nicely. Everyone knew she was pretty then, but no one thought she'd get even prettier. I heard some guys in the hallway talking about how they got a picture of her face on their cell phone without her noticing. She's like an idol these days." Mizuiro said, joining the conversation for the first time since they began walking. He was constantly on his cell phone, like always, spreading rumors and such.

"Wait, what? Some guys got Inoue's picture on their phone?" Ichigo asked, surprised. He felt the nerve in his forehead begin to twitch, and his fists clench in anger. "That's an invasion of privacy!"

"Well, just be glad it was of her face. I know some guys were gonna pay a girl in her gym class to get pictures of her in the locker room, if you catch my drift." Mizuiro said, frowning at Ichigo's nasty glare. "It didn't work out though."

"What the hell? Seriously? Why am I the last to know about this?" Ichigo fumed, glaring at his two friends expectantly.

"_First, I'm gonna murder the bastards with the cell phones. Then I'm going to kill Keigo and Mizuiro for neglecting to tell me about it."_

"What, you wanna see Inoue half naked too?" Keigo asked, surprised.

"_Keigo dies first."_

"No, you moron, I wanna pound the faces in of the creeps who do!" Ichigo yelled, a sweat drop forming on his brow. "Seriously Keigo, you're a moron."

"I think it's you who's the moron, Ichigo. Inoue-chan is fine, if you haven't noticed. And if you haven't, you're obviously gay." Keigo retorted, sticking his tongue out.

"Shut the fuck up Keigo! I am _not _gay. I'm just not perverted like everyone else seems to be. Inoue is my friend; I highly doubt she'd appreciate me or anyone else checking her out." Ichigo said, rolling his eyes. "Hurry up, it's almost seven. I'd rather not keep them waiting. Tatsuki is testy these days."

"Alright, alright, calm down already."

A few minutes later, they arrived at Orihime's apartment building. The light was on upstairs and Ichigo could see shadows on the wall. Ichigo made his way upstairs, Keigo and Mizuiro following behind.

Before Ichigo could lift his hand to knock on the door, it swung open and Tatsuki was standing there.

"Finally, seven means seven, Ichigo!" Tatsuki said, her arms crossed with an annoyed expression on her face.

"It's 7:05! Just calm down, I had two morons to bring with, remember?"

"Whatever. Well just sit down and make yourself comfortable, Orihime's almost ready. She took a nap and woke up late, so she got a late start." Tatsuki explained. Chad and Ishida were there, sitting on the couch, looking extremely bored, as usual.

Ishida was wearing khaki pants and a blue button down shirt. He was looking very relaxed on the couch sewing something. Every once in awhile he'd push his glassed back onto his face, and every few minutes they'd slide to the bridge of his nose again.

Chad was wearing his dark blue polo and white pants. He, unlike Ishida, was staring at the ceiling, looking like he was about to fall asleep. Ichigo smirked, knowing that both Uryu and Chad probably wanted to go as much as he did – the only reason they all were was to please Tatsuki and Inoue, because for some unkown reason, girls had a thing for high school parties.

"I'm coming! Just one more second!" Orihime yelled from the bathroom.

"Oi! Hurry it up, I wanna get to this party!" Tatsuki yelled.

"Okay, I'm done! Jeesh." Orihime said, opening the door.

Orihime walked out of the bathroom, looking absolutely stunning. Tatsuki's mouth formed a giant grin, and all the attention focused on the dark orange haired girl. Orihime was wearing black knee high boots, with long grey socks that were folded at the knee. She had on a flirty flowery skirt, that was purple, turquoise, and pink. Her top was a black sleeveless button down, with ruffles over the chest which, to Ichigo's dismay, accented her already large bust. Underneath the sheer black fabric of the button down was a lacey black tank top. Orihime's hair was flowing and long like always, her hair pins more noticeable because of the matching hue in her skirt. Her eye shadow was purple, pink and blue as well, her cheeks rosy and her lips naturally red. Ichigo,

Uryu, Keigo, Mizuiro, and even Chad swallowed with looks of approval apparent on their face.

"Orihime, you look stunning!" Tatsuki said. "Look at that body! All that hard work training with me really paid off." Orihime beamed happily. "She makes all of us look so under dressed!"

It was somewhat true, though the boys were in their nicer casual clothes, Ichigo felt as though anyone would look absurd standing next to Inoue. Ichigo himself was wearing a red and white jacket, black skinny jeans, and a pair of black converse shoes. One of his nicer, put together attires, and he still felt like a slob next to her.

"Whatever, Tatsuki! You look phenomenal. You really should wear dresses more often." Orihime said, blushing at all the attention directed at her.

That was true as well. Tatsuki looked really great in a skin tight black dress that went off the shoulders. Simple and sophisticated, it looked even better with her tomboy touch of ankle boots, instead of heels.

"Well, let's go! I'm so excited, I've never been to a party like this one!" Orihime squealed.

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That's the first chapter. I plan to make this three or four tops. Review and you get it sooner!(:


	2. center of attention

Ichigo had pictured a mass amount of students bumping and grinding on the dance floor, talking loudly and looking utterly immature. For the most part, he was dead on. He was not, however, prepared for the chaotic atmosphere that hit him almost instantly upon entering the house of his fellow classmate. Everything was frantic and quick paced, like there was some sort of invisible time limit. Teenagers were running around, looking for drinks and snacks, dancing on each other like wild animals, and some were making out in chairs and corners. The music was mind deafening; Ichigo was sure he could feel it in his very soul, pulsating through him. He scowled.

"This is so much worse than I imagined," Ichigo whined to no one in particular. "Can we leave yet?"

"What are you talking about Kurosaki-kun? This looks like fun! There's cookies and juice, and oh! I love this song." Orihime said happily.

"_Leave it to Orihime to come to a party for cookies and juice…" _Ichigo thought, feeling frustrated.

"Come on, Orihime! Let's go shake our booties on the dance floor!" Tatsuki said smiling.

Ichigo's scowl deepened onto his face.

"Okay! See you later Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime said before Tatsuki pulled her off into the crowd.

"Take care of her, Tatsuki!" Ichigo tried to yell, hoping she heard him. It was unlikely due to the music.

"So now what? I didn't really plan on coming to a giant party to sit here with you lot." Ichigo grumbled.

"Well if you weren't so scary looking, maybe you could have brought a date, Kurosaki." Uryu retorted, clearly irritated by Ichigo's comment. "And if you didn't come here to sit with us, then what exactly _did _you plan to do?"

"I don't know. Not come?" Ichigo said, annoyed at Uryu. "And I don't see any of you guys with dates, so let's leave my _'scary face'_ out of it."

"Now now, Ichigo, we all know I could have easily brought a date to this, but I wanted to be available to all the super fine ladies that I knew would be here. I was so right, too!" Keigo said excitedly.

Ichigo, Uryu, Chad, and Mizuiro rolled their eyes at this.

"Hate to break it to you, Asano, but I highly doubt that is the reason." Mizuiro said, whipping out his mobile. "I'm gonna go meet someone. Talk to you guys later."

"Wait, Mizuiro! I'm coming with." Keigo whined, following behind.

"Ah, I'm gonna go get some punch, then." Ichigo said, feeling anxious to be alone. People he didn't know were bumping into him left and right, and he was trying to keep his temper in check. The last thing he needed right now was to get into a fight.

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In the crowd, Orihime and Tatsuki were dancing like there was no tomorrow. Many guys were taking notice of the two girls, and the crowd had formed slightly around them so people could watch.

"Do you see that girl with the black hair? She's sexy!" said one man, smirking in her direction. "She looks feisty, and that's how I like 'em!"

"Yeah, she's cute – but that girl with the orange hair is like a super model or something. It's surreal, and the only time I've ever seen a figure like that is in my dreams!" the man's friend said, staring in the direction of Orihime.

"I know right? Her rack is amazing. I'd like to get a feel of those," another guy commented.

"That black haired girl is really sexy too; they both are, especially when they're dancing with each other like that," another male said, looking at the two of them hungrily.

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"Look at those two skanks taking up all the attention. This isn't even their party!" A blonde girl commented nastily. She was glaring at Tatsuki and Orihime unhappily.

"I know right? They're not even cute. We are _so_ much prettier." Her brunette friend agreed, crossing her arms.

"Seriously, who invited the tramps? And what's with that dumb bitch's orange hair?Bad dye job or what?"

"Tell me about it." The brunette agreed, scowling.

"Let's have some fun with that stupid little princess! Come on, Naomi."

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Ichigo had been watching Orihime and Tatsuki from the punch table, to make sure they were okay – and with the way the males in the crowd were looking at the two, he was glad he'd come after all. He was positive that before the night was over, he'd be kicking some guy's sorry ass.

He didn't need his shinigami powers to do that much, at least.

And it was gonna end up being sooner than he originally anticipated, he realized, looking at his two friends. The crowd was revolving around them, watching in both jealousy and lust. Ichigo's temper was flaring at the image.

Ichigo couldn't help but admit he was surprised at how they were dancing – they were bumping and grinding on each other like they've done it there whole lives. Tatsuki, who was never exactly feminine, and Orihime, the innocent, sweet girl next door, were pulling off some rather skanky moves, to be honest.

He wasn't happy to admit to himself that they were doing a good job of it, either.

Ichigo swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.

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"Orihime, they're all staring at us. I told you you're a hottie!" Tatsuki said, laughing.

Orihime blushed. She was completely unaware that they were being watched. She suddenly felt self conscious.

"I'm not really used to dancing like that. I mean, I dance at home in my room and stuff, but not really like that!"

"It's okay, we looked awesome! No harm in having a little fun. " Tatsuki said smug, "Some guys were checking you out, too." Tatsuki added, watching Orihime turn even redder in the process.

"Heh heh, okay Tatsuki-chan, whatever you say. We should probably find the others!" Orihime said, changing the subject. She started to run off.

"Hey, Orihime, wait!" Tatsuki said, reaching out to grab her friend. Orihime was already lost in the crowd. Tatsuki looked around for her, but didn't catch a glimpse of her friend's sunny hair anywhere. There were too many people.

"Damn." Tatsuki muttered.

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"Uryu!" A voice called. Uryu looked around, only to see Orihime walking towards him. He smiled; relieved to see her safe after the crowd had engulfed both her and Tatsuki.

"Hey, Inoue-san, is everything alright?"

"Yeah! Except I lost Tatsuki back there in the crowd. Guess I shouldn't have run off like that! Why are you sitting here all by yourself? And where are the others at?"

"Well, Kurosaki went to get some punch, Chad's wondering around somewhere, and Keigo and Mizuiro are upstairs with a bunch of older ladies. I'll never really understand that kid." Uryu added as an after thought.

"Oh, okay, I see! It's just so crowded in here! I'm surprised I can't see spiky orange hair poking out through the crowd!" Orihime giggled at the thought.

"Tell me about it. I didn't know you could fit so many teenagers into one house."

"Oh hey, Uryu! There's some cookies over there! I knew there would be some, I'll just be right back." Orihime said, running off again. Uryu tried to follow her, but couldn't spot her in the sea of people.

"Inoue-san! Keep out of trouble!" He tried to yell, but he was doubtful she heard him.

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"Where'd your pretty friend go?" A tall, bulky guy leaned down and asked Tatsuki. He was followed by a few of his friends, in which all were obviously jocks. Tatsuki rolled her eyes, unimpressed.

"What's it to you, meathead?" Tatsuki said. She never liked guys who tried to intimidate her, and it was obvious that they thought they could. That, or that she was impressed with their jock status. Tatsuki wanted to laugh.

"Well that's not very nice, sweet cheeks. It was just a simple question."

"If you want to live to see tomorrow, you will never call me that again." Tatsuki said, revolted at the nick name he had just called her. "And it happens to be that it is none of your business."

"I like 'em feisty." One of the guys behind the head jock murmured. He had blonde hair, all spiked up in perfect order. He nodded approvingly, licking his lips.

"And I like them with brains. Looks like you don't quite make the cut, so if you'll excuse me, I've got better things to do than sit here with you dummies."

Tatsuki averted her eyes away quickly, turned on her heel, and started to walk away from the gang of jocks, annoyed. One of them reached out a hand and grabbed her arm.

"We didn't say you could leave, and we're not done talking to you."

"Well, I'm done talking to you! And I don't care who you are, I know I can kick your ass from here to Timbuktu."

"I'd like to see you try." The jock with the blonde hair said, reaching forward towards Tatsuki's skirt. Tatsuki grabbed his hand, and squeezed hard. She then proceeded in kicking him square in the nuts.

"Ow! You bitch, what the fuck did you do that for?"

"There's a lot more where that came from if you try and fuck with me or my friends again, got it?" Tatsuki said angrily.

"Just wait until we find that pretty friend of yours! I bet _she _won't mind playing with us."

Tatsuki's tempered flared, but she backed away instead. She turned on her heel to find Orihime before some other creeps did.

"Let's go find that pretty orange haired girl, shall we?" The main jock said persistently, a creepy smile on his face.

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Chad had been sitting on one of the sofas in the massive living room for quite some time now. There was a couple next to him going at it like the world was about to end. He paid no attention to them, as he stared blankly in front of him, bored. There were a lot of people running around and breaking things, and there were others, like the couple next to him, making out.

He hadn't seen any of his nakama since they split off into groups, but he was really only worried about Tatsuki and Orihime, and the latter he was the most concerned for. He just had a bad feeling something was going to happen. Tatsuki and Orihime had been training for quite some time now, he was aware, but Orihime, unlike Tatsuki, had trouble hurting others, even if she knew how. Chad knew, though, that others could easily hurt her and would, too, if no one was there to protect her. With the chaos that swirled around the party, he didn't like that she wasn't with Ichigo, or at the very least Uryu. If you needed someone to be bat shit protective, Ichigo was your man, reguardless of powers. Chad definitely trusted Ichigo with Orihime the most.

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It's kind of short, but I had an hour to write it before I start my 9 hour shift! I really wanted to get it up since it's been so long. Next update will be Rose Colored Glasses! Please check it out if you haven't. I'll proofread this chapter later. Thanks so much for the reviews and the support! I appreciate and re-read every single one.

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Cause you know, Keigo dies first xD

Had to do it, it was everyone's fav;)


	3. pawns in your game

**Hey everyone! I am back! Sorry for the lack of update on my part! I work two jobs plus I coach, go to college, and cheer for my school! So if there's ever a lack of update, that's why. Don't worry; I'll do my best to finish my fics. I haven't forgotten you! **

**Also, thank you so much for the reviews! I just went and checked and noticed I hadmore than I thought! You guys rock. OH, also, I did not have time to edit this. Sorry for any mistakes!**

**Enjoy.**

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Uryu pushed his glasses back onto his nose, taking in a deep breath. This party was not a good idea. It was quickly spiraling out of control, and according to both common sense and logical thinking, it was easy to see that the odds of someone getting hurt here were getting higher each minute. There was alcohol everywhere and drunken teens rampaging about, breaking furniture and falling over; and somehow more kids were managing to squeeze into the already crowded house. Uryu noticed that many of the teens entering the house now were older, and did not look like high school students. The music pounded on, making it hard to think.

Uryu frowned, trying to sense Orihime. She was the one he, and everyone else for that matter, worried about the most…and for good reason.

He whipped out the cell phone Urahara had given him. Though it was really only supposed to be used for work, Kisuke had tweaked it a bit so that Uryu could in fact call regular people on the phone. He rarely did, but decided there was no better use of his cell phone than now. He dialed Inoue's digit into the phone.

"_You have reached Inoue Orihime! Sorry I am not able to answer right now, little blue men have probably landed on Earth and have kidnapped me; but please leave a message and I will get back to you once they leave!" _BEEEP.

Uryu sighed. "Inoue-san, it's Ishida. Please call me so we can meet up with the others…and be careful." He clicked the end button, hoping she would receive his message and missed call soon. He thought he'd try plan B.

"_Inoue's spiritual pressure is coming from that direction," _Uryu thought to himself, looking to his left. It didn't help him much, though, as there were so many other kids that her reiatsu was hard to distinguish.

"_There are quite a few kids here with a good amount of spiritual pressure. Great. This is going to be a lot of work…"_

Uryu pushed himself into the crowd, trying not to worry about the hundreds of toes he seemed to be stepping on.

"Oi! Watch it!"

"Hey, sod off!"

"Move it, four eyes."

Uryu sighed, ignoring the rude comments of the strangers in the crowd. He was having a hard time finding her, and he hadn't seen anyone else for awhile, either. Though he was usually the calm, cool headed one, even he was feeling anxious about the situation.

Uryu continued to push through the crowd, looking everywhere for orange hair- either Orihime's or Ichigo's, though he was a lot less worried about Ichigo for the time being.

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Chad finally moved himself from the couch. He had noticed how full the house was getting, and was starting to feel nervous. Chad never liked crowds in the first place, but now it looked like many of the guests coming in were thugs and bullies. This made him uneasy, because if one of his nakama needed him, he wouldn't be able to find them. It was only a matter of time before trouble ensued…

Chad had a much easier time maneuvering through the crowd compared to Uryu. His size allowed for people to spread apart, whether they noticed it or not. He took slow, cautious steps. He didn't want to miss one of his friends mistakenly.

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Orihime's eyes were wide with realization. Her mouth dropped into a tiny 'o', unsure of how to assess the situation…. there were so many cookies for her to choose from! There was a giant platter laid out on one of the tables that held every type of sweet imaginable. There were brownies, cakes, cookies, and even lemon bars. If only she had remembered to bring her wasabi sauce and bean paste!

Orihime licked her lips, ready to try one of the treats on the table. She grabbed a chocolate chip cookie and took a bite.

"_This is delicious! I am so glad we came. The music and the food are so good!"_

Orihime finished the cookie, and began looking for some cups to pour herself some juice.

"Looking for this?" a man's voice came. Orihime turned her head to see a blonde haired guy holding a plastic cup. "They were hidden under the table," he said, pointing to a long white table cloth. Orihime smiled.

"Oh! Thank you so much. I am so thirsty. The cookies are really good." Orihime added, smiling at the mysterious young man.

"Here, let me pour you some juice – unless you'd prefer a beer?" the blonde hair boy asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Orihime quickly shook her head.

"No, no. I don't drink, but thanks anyway. I'll just stick with some punch."

"Suit yourself." The boy said, grabbing the ladle and spooning it into the cup. There you are." He smiled, handing her the drink. Orihime grabbed it, telling him thank you once again. She didn't notice the way the boy was ogling her, eyeing her like a treasure chest that was half buried on a Caribbean Island; and who could blame him? Orihime was breath taking in her colorful skirt and playful make up, her cheeks and lips red from dancing. She was warm from all the bodies that filled the house and all the moving she had been doing, that a light coating of sweat tinged her skin. It added to her beauty in a unique way, with the lights dancing and reflecting off her face. The boy smiled wider.

Orihime drank her cup of punch quickly, liking how it cooled down her skin and the sweetness on her tongue. Her deep gray orbs pierced through the blonde boy's brown ones. She saw fire in his eyes, and Orihime was curious about him. He seemed kind enough.

"So, where exactly do you go to school?" Orihime asked him. He grabbed her empty cup and poured her some more punch, and she thanked him. She eyed him, waiting for a reply.

"I go to school in Okinawa, but I have a friend who dated the girl who is throwing this party," the blonde said. Orihime nodded.

"Oh, I see. I don't even know who's throwing this party; there were just flyers all around the school and I decided I wanted to go. I don't usually attend social functions. So I figured why not?" Orihime remembered Chizuru showing her and Tatsuki the flyer that was getting passed around school. At first, they weren't so sure about it, but Orihime and Tatsuki figured they needed to get out and do something. They had been stuck in the same rut for awhile, living each day by a routine; so they decided that they were going to go and force the rest to follow.

"That probably explains why I don't know you, and I usually know pretty girls." The boy said, and Orihime flushed red.

"I'm Koen, by the way." He stuck out his hand, waiting for her to shake it.

"I'm Inoue Orihime." She took his hand and shook it. Her grasp was light and guarded, but she smiled a friendly smile at the boy.

The boy smirked at her, adjusting his lettermen jacket.

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Tatsuki had stomped off into the crowd, pissed off at what had just taken place. Who the _hell_ did those guys think they were? It amazed her that there were people like that. She was surveying the crowd, trying to find Orihime, with no luck. "Where would I be if I were Orihime?" Tatsuki said aloud. _"Wherever the food is…" _She thought to herself, smiling. She began to look for the tables of food. The only problem with that was that there were too many students in the way blocking her view and, from the looks of it, there had to be at least 10 tables of food all over the house.

Tatsuki sighed, annoyed.

She made her way into another room, which looked to be the kitchen.

_This house is so big…_

"Oi, You! Who they _hell_ do you think you are?" A angry voice came from behind Tatsuki, who whipped her head around to see the source of the voice.

Standing there was a blonde haired girl who looked extremely arrogant and annoyed. Her hair, obviously bleached blonde, cascaded in curls down her shoulders. Tatsuki thought she might've been pretty, but couldn't tell due to all the makeup she had caked onto her face. Her skin was slightly orange and her eyes had at least a pound of eye shadow smudged onto her lids. Her body was of a thicker build, not fat, but curvy and muscular. Tatsuki rolled her eyes at the girl's attire. She was obviously a girl who tried to hard.

"What do you want? I don't know you." Tatsuki said, crossing her arms. Her face was full of defiance and annoyance.

"I'm Minami. If you don't know me now, you will soon. I'm the most popular girl at Okinawa High," the blonde said, smirking towards Tatsuki.

"And what makes you think I care? Tatsuki asked, giving the girl a curious glance. Her arms were now uncrossed. One hand was placed on her hip, and the other lay in a fist at her side.

"You should care, you pathetic twit. I don't know who you think you are, but you are not anything special. Next time you start dancing with your carrot top friend, it better be at your own house. This isn't your party, so don't try stealing the spot light," Minami said, taking a few steps closer to Tatsuki. Tatsuki didn't budge, unafraid.

"Excuse me, but my friend and I have all the right to _dance_ on and _dance_ floor at a _party._ In case I missed the memo, this isn't your party either. You, like me, were invited to attend. So before you start giving out your ridiculous demands, you better check yourself. I am not about to back down to some jealous little snob." Tatsuki said, closing the distance between the girl and herself. Tatsuki was now in the blonde's face, and she could clearly see the acne the girl had underneath all that foundation.

"You little bitch! How dare you talk to me like that?" Minami said, angered. Tatsuki smirked. This blonde snob did not scare her. She, like the jocks, was full of herself and Tatsuki knew she could handle them.

"What are you going to do about it? Drown me in your makeup?" Tatsuki asked, laughing. She turned on her heel to continue her search for her friends. "Get a grip," she said over her shoulder.

Minami stood here, seething.

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Ichigo had had about enough of this party. If one more bimbo tried to hit on him, he was going to lose it. Ichigo himself was about as dense as he could get when it came to women, but even he acknowledged their passes at him tonight. Their slurred words and gestures annoyed him, and the longing in their hopeful eyes sent a cold feeling throughout him. He did not like women who were loose with themselves, and it bothered him when they tried to be loose with him. Ichigo had far too much respect for both himself and others to even think about hooking up with someone at this party. He would simply shrug out of their embraces and walk off, leaving them to find someone else to flirt with, hopefully no one he knew. His scowl etched deeper into his face.

He surveyed the room. It was packed full of teenagers, especially around the DJ booth where the source of the music was coming from. Ichigo sighed, trying hard to keep his irritation down.

"Hey there, sexy, wanna play?" Ichigo did not even look up to acknowledge who was talking to him. He simply kept his face forward and emotionlessly uttered "no."

"But why not?" The girl whined, causing Ichigo to glare at her. She had long brown hair and blue eyes, and in her hand was a bottle of beer. He stood up, preparing to leave.

"Am I not desirable?" The woman cooed, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket and whispering in his ear. Ichigo shivered, uncomfortable by the woman's advances.

"Am I not loveable?" She cooed again in his ear, causing him to jerk his head. He was now face to face with the brunette, whose breath stuck of alcohol. Ichigo wrinkled his nose.

"You nee-," he started to say when he was cut off by the woman's lips against his. Ichigo did a double take, shocked by her forwardness. She pushed herself into him, her arms underneath his jacket, wrapping around his torso. Ichigo could feel tension building between his thighs and almost groaned. He did not want to think about that. He quickly grabbed her arms arms from his torso and detached her from himself.

The woman looked at him disappointed as her turned to walk away from the brown haired woman.

.

Orihime had been talking to Koen for a little while before excusing herself to the bathroom, in which she had no idea where to look. She found herself back into the main living room where the DJ booth was located, and hummed to the song that started blasting through the speakers.

She made her way towards the couches in the back of the room, hoping to sit for a moment while she figured out where the bathroom was. As she approached the couches, she spotted a familiar tuft of orange hair out of the corner of her eyes. Orihime smiled to herself. She hadn't seen any of her friends for awhile.

She was about to yell for him when she noticed the brown haired girl that was standing next to him. She frowned as the girl whispered something in his ear. In urosaki-kun's ear. In _her _Kurosaki-kun's ear. She frowned deeper as the girl pressed her lips to his. Orihime felt the tears that threatened to fall, and she turned away from the two, her heart feeling broken.

.

Koen saw the pretty orange haired girl from across the room. She looked upset about something. She was heading towards the staircase, her face hidden behind her beautiful red-orange strands of hair. Koen departed from his friends, quickly following in the direction of Inoue Orihime.

**And done. For now. I'll update as soon as I can, I promise! In the meantime, maybe some rewards for your dear author? I just love reviews! Thank you.**


	4. intoxicate me, drag me down

**Hello everyone! I am back and hopefully better than ever with this new chapter! Sorry for the long delay, but I was so excited to get this one written when I finally got time. Thank you so much for the reviews, they mean a lot! I mean 36 reviews in three chapters? That's my personal best. Thank you, thank you, thank you! **

**Someone mentioned that they thought it was odd Ichigo had a little…err….boner so quickly when that brunette lady touched him. Let me just defend this and say: This is the same Ichigo who peered through his fingers at Rangiku, who almost had a nose bleed at Yoruichi naked – I think if a woman were to touch him in a physical way, his body would react like any other teenage boys, whether he approved or not. So I think it was fair enough to say Ichigo became slightly aroused at a woman hanging on him. **

**With that, I'd also like to point out that I appreciate all your critics and reviews, but at the same time, I know where I want to take this story, so if something is too …cliché for your liking, you don't have to continue on reading. I need to set things up for **_**my **_**plots, not yours. Like Tite Kubo would say – I am writing for my characters and for my enjoyment, if you believe you can do better (which, I am sure many of you can) then write one yourself! I am having fun with this story and I hope you guys are enjoying it as well. My readers mean a lot to me.**

**Alright, I've said my piece. I hope this is the best chapter yet, and I hope the fans of this story will review and give me inspiration to continue – Rose Colored Glasses is on Hiatus for now. I am stuck in a rut and need to fix some things about that story. **

**-Rachel**

**

* * *

**

Running as fast as her legs could carry her, Orihime pushed her way through the crowd. She found herself at a set of stairs, and quickly ran up the dark stairwell, hoping to find a place of peace and quiet.

Upstairs, there were still teenagers, but there was much more space and the only noise was the music seeping in from downstairs. Orihime noticed a bedroom and quickly walked into it. She turned on the light, and saw it was empty. Orihime sighed, and sat on the bed.

She knew for a fact Ichigo didn't have a girlfriend, so she didn't need to worry about that – but what if he was hooking up with that pretty woman that she had saw? What if she _became _his girlfriend? Orihime's stomach turned, making her feel nauseous.

"_What if Kurosaki-kun didn't just meet her? What if he's known her? He doesn't always tell me everything, I mean, he could easily know her…or like her. Or maybe he will start to like her...What if they do something?" _Orihime turned a bit green at the thoughts spinning around in her head, each scenario playing in her mind like a movie.

"_No….Kurosaki-kun isn't the type of person to hook up with someone he probably just met. Whatever I saw, I'm sure there's a reason for it. And if he does know her, then I'm sure he's happy and I should be happy for him. I will not be upset about it!" _Orihime forced a triumphant smile onto her face, wiping her eyes and pushing her hair back.

Pushing the thoughts out of her head, her body reminded her she needed to find a bathroom. Her eyes surveyed the room, and she spotted a private bathroom to her right. She walked in and turned on the light, looking at the space that lit up around her.

The bathroom was big, of course. It was painted neutral beige, and had forest green accents with the towels and rug. Orihime locked the door and quickly used the toilet, trying to calm herself in the process. When she finished, she washed her hand and went to fix her makeup. Satisfied with her appearance, she opened the door to the bathroom and was sent flying onto her bottom.

"Oi!" She said, rubbing her butt and looking up to see what she hit. Standing over her were two girls who looked very angry.

"Listen here, you little bitch! Since your friend thinks she's such hot shit, we're gonna have to get our point across with you. Get the fuck _out_ of this party! You are not wanted here. You are a pathetic slut, and everyone here thinks you are disgusting. I bet you think you're such hot shit, dancing on the floor like that – well here's a newsflash: you're not!" A girl with blonde hair spat, eyes full of hatred.

A flash quickly went through Orihime's mind. Instantly, a picture of Loly and Menoly standing over her in Hueco Mundo entered her mind, and she saw herself in her old white Arrancar outfit. As quickly as it came, it disappeared. She shook her head, surprised by the sudden flashback. She hadn't though about Hueco Mundo in months.

Gaining her composure and the confidence she had acquired within the last seventeen months, Orihime stood up and brushed her skirt off. Something stirred within her gray eyes that Tatsuki would have been proud of. There was a blazing fire inside those eyes, and her mouth formed into a firm line before she spoke.

"If, by my "little friend" you mean Tatsuki, I would like you to know that she _is "_hot shit" and I'm sorry if you're threatened by it. I never claimed to be hot or whatever, and I don't appreciate you doing my thinking for me. I will say this: I am not pathetic, I am not a slut, and I am far from disgusting. I'm not sure if you're just spewing stuff at me you say every morning in the mirror, but I will not stand here and be bullied when I did nothing wrong."

Orihime put her hands on her hips, and looked at the two expectantly. She was not weak and she knew that now. All her experiences in the past had just forged her into a stronger person. Tatsuki had taught her to stand up for herself, and she was finally doing just that.

"How dare you say such foul things to me? You need to learn some respect! Naomi, shut the door."

Orihime had forgotten about the other girl, and her eyes widened in shock. It was the same girl she had seen kissing Ichigo downstairs. She remembered her silky straight brown hair and her blue eyes. Orihime was always great with faces.

Naomi shut the door, looking slightly uncomfortable in doing so. Orihime wanted to ask her about Ichigo, but held her tongue. She had more pressing issues to deal with right now.

"Now listen here, bitch," Minami said, grabbing Orihime by her hair. Orihime winced in pain and tried to get the girl to loosen her grip, but to no avail. She did not want to fight these two girls, no matter how mean they were being. She just wanted to find her friends.

"When I am finished with you, you are going to wish you didn't have such a mouth."

Minami swung a punch at Orihime's gut, knocking her back onto the bathroom floor. Before Minami could stomp on her fallen form, Orihime rolled quickly and pushed herself back to her feet. She did not want to fight this girl, but she refused to lie down and take it, either.

"I don't understand why you're so angry. My friends and I just came to have fun." Orihime said, stepping back away from the girl. The girl swung a punch at Orihime, who dodged it easily.

"I don't care what you have to say! You're gonna be sorry you said what you said to me, you and your stupid friend!"

She swung a low kick at Orihime's shin, who managed to jump over it easily, but slipped on the rug and fell forward into the door. Orihime landed on her back, and rolled on her side, her body sore from impact. Minami took this opportunity to grab her hair again.

"Minami, someone's coming… We should end it for now." Naomi said, looking more and more uncomfortable by the minute. Just as she finished her sentence, the bathroom door opened. Orihime couldn't see who it was as her back was to the door, but she hoped it was one of her friends.

"What's going on in here, ladies?" Orihime heard a low voice ask. It was a voice she had heard before, but not one she was hoping it would be.

"Koen! Nothing, we were just teaching this bitch a lesson."

Koen pushed past Naomi and grabbed Orihime by the arm and helped her up. "You two are some jealous bitches." He said, glaring at Minami. "Are you okay?" He directed his eyes at Orihime, who nodded.

"I'm okay," she half squeaked, happy to be free from those two girls. Minami and Naomi ran out, distancing themselves from Koen as quickly as possible.

Koen grabbed Orihime's hand and lead her out of the bathroom.

"Here, sit," he pointed to the bed. "Sorry about those two, they think they own every guy in the world, when really they're a pair of jealous sluts."

"You know them?" Orihime asked, sitting on the bed and fixing her skirt. She felt embarrassed having been found on the floor, but she was just glad he came when he did. Orihime hated fighting, but she didn't particularly enjoy getting beaten up either.

"They go to school with me. I dated the blonde once - worst experience ever!" He laughed. "Hey, I'm going to step out for a sec and grab a beer- want some more punch?" Koen asked, moving towards the doorway. Orihime nodded.

Koen left the room, leaving Orihime alone for a moment. She sighed, collecting her thoughts.

_"This has been a long night! I am so ready to leave. I'm just glad that Koen guy came when he did. He seems really nice."_

Orihime pulled out her cell phone and noticed she had a missed call from Ishida. "I wonder why Ishida-kun called." She said aloud to herself, calling her voicemail and punching in her password.

"_**Inoue-san, it's Ishida. Please call me so we can meet up with the others...and be careful."**_

"_Oh, no! Ishida and the others must be so worried about me. He left that message awhile ago. I should get going…"_

Orihime dialed Ishida's number into her phone. It rang twice and a desperate sounding Ishida answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Ishida-kun! Sorry if I worried you, it's really crowded and noisy so I didn't hear my phone." She explained, hoping he wasn't mad.

"I understand, Inoue-san. Kurosaki is here with me, but we're still trying to find the others. Where are you?"

Orihime's breath caught in her throat at the mention of Kurosaki-kun. She shrugged it off, happy that Ichigo was with Ishida.

"I'm upstairs in a bedroom," she said. The door to the bedroom opened back up and Orihime saw Koen entering. "Hey, call me back in five." Orihime said, hanging up her phone.

* * *

"What the-?" Ishida said, staring at his phone in wonder.

"Well, what did she say?" Ichigo asked, scowl in place as always. "Where is she?"

"She said she was 'upstairs in a bedroom', Ishida said, concern etched into his face. Ichigo's scowl froze on his face for a split second and then turned into an angry grimace. "What the hell! Why is she in a bedroom? What the fuck is going on around here?" Ichigo half yelled. No one noticed due to the noise.

"She sounded okay, but she said to call her back in five minutes and hung up. So I really don't know what's going on…"

"We need to find her, and I mean _now._" Ichigo said angrily.

"I agree."

* * *

"Hey cutie, I'm back," Koen's voice came. He was carrying a beer in one hand and a red cup in the other. "Here you go – they poured more punch in so it's a different flavor, hope you like orange."

"Oh yeah, that's fine, thanks." Orihime said, taking a sip. Koen sat down on the bed next to her, taking a swig of his beer as well. "So, why were you so upset?" He asked, focusing his attention on the orange haired goddess.

"Oh, it was nothing. I just saw one of my friends doing something…" Orihime struggled to find the words to explain the situation, and as she spoke redness filled her cheeks.

"What do you mean?" Koen asked, confused. Orihime sighed, taking another sip of her punch. "One of my friends was kissing that brunette- I think her name is Naomi? Well yeah, he was kissing her and I was shocked by it." Orihime said, looking away.

"Oh, so you like this guy, then?" Koen asked. Orihime sighed and nodded. She took another sip as an excuse to hide her embarrassment.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this, you hardly even know me." Orihime nervous laughed. She took another sip of the punch, enjoying its weird taste and the coldness on her tongue.

"Hey, I consider us friends! I mean, I did just save your butt back there." He said, smiling. Orihime smiled back, one of her giant sun-filled smiles.

"So, does this guy realize you're the most beautiful girl in the world? Or does he need a Seeing Eye dog?"

Orihime laughed nervously. "I don't know about all that."

"I do. He must be stupid not to be into you." Koen whispered, leaning in close to Orihime. Orihime could feel his breath on her skin.

"Um, Koen, I really need to get going. My friends are worried about me, but I really had a nice time." Orihime said, making a motion to stand up. She fell back quickly, confused.

"Are you alright?" Koen asked.

"I feel really dizzy…" Orihime said, surprised at her sudden disposure.

"What a shame..." Koen said in a gruff voice, reaching for her blouse.

"What are you doing? Stop!" Orihime yelled, fighting the pounding in her head. "I said stop!" Orihime pushed Koen away, standing up. The room began spinning but Orihime ignored it, focusing her attention on Koen. "What's wrong with you?"

"You need to loosen up a bit, babe. Why don't you come here and I can help with that?" He asked, standing and reaching for her again. Orihime smacked him across the face.

"Please just stop!" Orihime said, backing away. Koen reached forward and sent her flying with a punch to her left eye. She curled over against the wall, feeling the sting from the blow.

"Please stop! I thought we were friends..." Orihime gasped. Tears started to fall from her eyes.

"Sweetie, I have plenty of friends. I just need someone to fuck." He bent down to grab Orihime by the arm, and she pushed him away. This angered him further and he kicked her in the gut, causing her to exhale sharply.

"There's no use fighting. In about a minute, those roofies I put in your punch will kick in to their full effect and I can do whatever I please with you. So save yourself the energy, princess."

"You drugged me?" Orihime gasped. The room continued to spin around, faster and faster. Koen was slowly becoming a blur of color, and her eyes felt heavy, like she wanted to sleep.

"Come here." Koen said again, lifting her up over his shoulder. It oddly reminded her of the time Ichigo had defeated Grimmjow and had lifted her over his shoulder to get her to safety – only Ichigo's hands were hands that protected, and Koen's were not.

This time she did not fight Koen as he moved her from the floor – her body felt as though it was being weighed down by sand. Her eyes almost closed, and she saw the bed slowly come closer to her face. She was aware of the blankets against her body, and a breath upon her face, but she couldn't focus her attention on anything. As she felt her top unbuttoning she uttered one last "No!" before passing out.

* * *

**I was originally going to write more and give you a super sized chapter, but…I'm a jerk and enjoy cliffhangers!**

**Alright so I'm really nervous about this chapter…please review? (But be nice! *Dodges eggs*) **


	5. trying to find you

**Disclaimer:** Stated.  
**Warning:** Not proof read, mature scenes.  
**A/N: **Taking a queue from the princess of pop herself, Britney Spears, I'll just let this chapter speak for me.

* * *

*****Orihime was dreaming. It was an awfully bright dream; full of colors and light. The colors swirled about her in a distorted way, making it hard for her to focus. She felt like she was in a funhouse at a circus – she inwardly hoped that no clown's creepy face would appear amidst the swirl.

She had never seen so many bright colors. It was like a beautiful painting with the most beautiful shades splattered together. Everywhere she looked, there was a shade, a hue, blending into the next and splattered amongst the air like a canvas.

It was hard to survey her surroundings – everything was spinning, and she realized that as the colors swirled around her, she was falling –falling – falling, with no end in sight. It was almost like she was in the eye of a storm, watching it all happen…such a beautiful storm.

Nothing hurt in her dream, she just didn't understand why there were so many colors and so much spinning – it was making her feel dizzy.

Orihime continued to fall in her crazy, beautiful tornado.

**.  
.**

Koen moved quickly, working the buttons of Orihime's blouse as fast as he could. This was what he had been waiting for – _her._ He and his friends had solely attended the party for the purpose of finding the perfect girl, and this strange, bubbly redhead was it. The perfect girl to do with as he pleased, a victim to be treasured…

As he finished unbuttoning her ruffled blouse, he looked at her pale flesh lovingly. It was so smooth and vulnerable, he wanted to touch it immediately – but more so, he wanted to see the remaining skin hidden behind the tank tops she was wearing. The skin that would curve into a pair of the most voluptuous breasts he'd ever laid eyes on.

He admired her face, taking in her beauty. Her face was that of a porcelain doll, flawless and smooth, lying gracefully across her beautiful bone structure. Her lips were full and pink, and he wanted to suck on them. Her eyes were closed, but he took in the beautiful shape of her lids, the long lashes that touched the swell of her rose-dusted cheeks. He remembered that when he eyes were open, they were full of life and adventure, a passionate fire behind her deep gray orbs. Her eyes were like giant pools that went on forever, deeper and deeper until you lost yourself in them. Yes, Inoue Orihime was by far the most beautiful girl he had ever met, and he was fortunate that she had been in the right place at the right time.

She would be the best; the special edition to his collection. He doubted he'd ever find another girl more stunning than Inoue Orihime.

He smiled a smile that would have sent a cold shiver down the spine of the girl, had she been awake to witness it.

**.**  
**.**

Ichigo had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach that was slowly making itself more and more known. As soon as Ishida had told him that Orihime was _upstairs_ somewhere in a _bedroom_, nausea took over. When someone who looked like Orihime – Ichigo refused to use the proper word – was by herself at a party- _upstairs _was a dangerous place to be. He had already been antsy due to not seeing her or his other nakama in over an hour, but now he desperately needed to find her, Tatsuki, and everyone else so they could get the hell out.

He looked over at Ishida, who was focusing on finding Inoue's reiatsu. He sighed, frustrated.

"What's the hold up, four eyes?" He growled, irate at the time that they were wasting.

"I'm trying to sense her, but she's always been hard to sense in the first place. There are a lot of spiritually aware people here, and I can't exactly pinpoint hers. It's faint."

"What do you mean it's faint? Inoue was the one person I could actually sense when I had my powers. Try harder," Ichigo said, disbelieving. Inoue's reiatsu was a warm one, calm and gentle, but strong. It felt much different than the reiatsu that other people had – theirs were usually filled with anger, despair, and violence – and if they weren't, they could never match Orihime's level of serenity. When he reiatsu washed over him, peace did as well.

His brows furrowed in anxiety as he waited for Ishida to locate the source of his worries. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number while he waited, hoping she would answer.

She didn't.

**.  
****.**

Mere seconds had gone by, but to Orihime, it felt like an eternity. She really had no clue what was going on. All she knew was that she was still falling – falling – falling, and she was getting sick of it.

Her eyes looked down, reluctantly. There was no end in sight – she didn't know whether to be thankful or not.

The colors were still spinning around her, quick and bright. Her head began to pound, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She had the nagging feeling something was really wrong, but she didn't know why and she didn't know what she was supposed to do about it.

For how long could one person fall?

**.  
.**

"Well, well, well! Look at what we have here," A voice came, causing Koen to jump up in attention. His face formed into a scowl after a moment, realizing who it was.

"What do you want? You can clearly see that I'm busy," he growled, stroking Orihime's face with his finger. He had the urge to strip her and take her right then, but he wanted to savor each and every moment with the princess, so he continued to restrain himself.

"I want in. You're not the only one who has their eyes set on her, you know. She's a real beauty," The voice replied, smirking. Koen slid off the bed, looking annoyed. He positioned himself in front of the sleeping beauty's body, protectively.

"What makes you think I'm going to let you in on this? She's mine for the taking; I did this myself without your help."

"Because, _Koen_, I run our school and I run you. That letterman's jacket will look just as good on someone else. You _are_, after all, replaceable," the man sneered, crossing his bulky arms. His dark hair hung in waves, unkempt and thick. His mouth formed into a sadistic smile, one that hid a threat beneath its surface. "Not to mention what you are doing is a crime, and what's to stop me from reporting it?"

"You wouldn't! This is nothing compared to the things _you've_ done, Orochi," Koen replied angrily. The man smiled, shaking his finger at him condescendingly.

"If you're talking about the things that you've _helped_ me with -that will not help your case in court at all; and as for anything else, how could you prove I was the one who did it if you weren't there? The only thing you can prove is what you've played the part in, Koen, so either let me in on this or I will turn you in. Your choice."

Koen sighed, his fists clenching. "Fine, but I get her first." He turned around to focus his attention back at unconscious girl before him. He discarded her boots and stockings, leaving only her skirt and tank top left to deal with. Orochi smiled an evil smile as he pulled of his letterman jacket and hung it on a peg, eager to join in.

**.  
.**

Ichigo and Uryu made their way through the crowd, anxiety growing stronger and stronger by the minute. Ichigo had called Orihime eight times with no luck in reaching her, and it was well past five minutes since Uryu had talked to her on the phone. He grabbed at his hair, distressed, trying to find a source of relief to calm him down.

"The stairs are over there, finally!" Ichigo said, pushing through without care. He was stopped, however, by Uryu who had his attention turned to the right.

"Kurosaki….Arisawa seems to need our help."

Ichigo whipped his head in the direction Uryu was looking, the scene before him causing a vein in his head to throb.

Tatsuki was, in no way, someone who couldn't take care of herself, but the scene before Ichigo sent him into protective mode immediately. Tatsuki was being cornered by two jocks and two girls, and though Tatsuki lacked fear in her ever fire wielding eyes, he could see she would need help soon.

"Tatsuki," he called, pushing his way to her. He had to make this fast – Inoue was in still in potential danger.

"Ichigo – there you are. I haven't seen anyone in this hellhole in awhile. Good to see Ishida is with you – I'm kind of in a tussle…," Tatsuki whispered as Ichigo and Ishida made their way to her side. The two jocks looked annoyed at the intrusion, but smiled cockily to one another. In front of them were a blonde and a brunette – one Ichigo recognized. His stomach turned, thinking of her unwanted intimate touch.

He scowled.

"What's going on here? Why are you guys cornering Arisawa-san?" Ishida asked, pushing his glasses up from the bridge of his nose.

"Oh she knows why – coming in here, taking all the attention. We don't like attention whores, do we Naomi?" The blonde asked. Naomi just nodded, still looking uncomfortable about the whole mess. Ichigo could see that she had sobered up a bit from the last time he saw her, and he wondered if the reason she looked so uncomfortable was because of him.

**.  
.**

Naomi averted her eyes from the strange, orange haired man before her, discomfort her constant companion. She felt slightly humiliated at how she had hung on him prior, cursing herself for drinking so much. She had always been clingy and touchy feel-y when she was tipsy, and she knew she had to cut back on that – especially in public.

The scene that lay before her settled uneasily in her stomach. Though Minami was her best friend, sometimes she wished she wasn't. Minami was the type of girl who demanded attention and was extremely high maintenance – she never took "no" for an answer and was hateful towards anyone who stood in her way – hence her newest obsession with the two girls from Karakura, who Naomi was starting to feel really sorry for.

She scanned the dark haired girl before her, looking at her face. She showed no fear, but instead confidence as she stood straight up with her fists clenched. She could tell this girl was someone to reckon with. The other girl they had encountered tonight was different – she couldn't pinpoint it, but there was something about her that made her so easily hated and she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because of her undeniable beauty – classic and untouchable – others could only hope to achieve that level of beauty in their wildest dreams. Maybe it was because she seemed so oblivious to her own beauty, or because she seemed so childlike and innocent – Naomi deducted that from far away on the dance floor the moment she first saw her. She had a giant smile on her face, carefree and young like she didn't have a trouble in the world.

Naomi knew, though, that Minami only hated the auburn haired girl and the girl called Arisawa out of pure jealousy, and she knew Minami was a cruel, wretched person deep down.

**.  
.**

_Click._

Orihime opened her eyes to the world outside of her.

_Click._

Everything had stopped, the colors gone, and the spinning cyclone that had surrounded her non-existent.

_Click._

Orihime squinted, trying to see what was around her. The total opposite of what was going on before now lay in front of her eyes. There was complete darkness, and she could barely make out her hand in front of her face.

"Where am I-?" she wondered aloud, listening to the echo of her voice. The darkness scared her, afraid of what she'd find in its depths.

"_I must be dreaming….this is the weirdest dream, though…,"_ She thought to herself, unsure of what to do. She didn't have any clue on how to wake up- she wasn't even sure if she was dreaming in the first place.

"Orihime," a voice called to her. She shuddered, the cold prickling her skin like a needle. She knew that voice, somewhere, but _where?_ The voice made the little tiny hairs all over her body stand on end. Her stomach felt uneasy.

"_Princess," _it murmured.

Orihime turned every direction in hopes of seeing something, but there was nothing to see.

She heard a rumbling in the sky, and she looked up, wondering what it was. She noticed that the sky was fading lighter, into a gray and charcoal atmosphere. She sighed, slightly relieved. Although it was ominous, the grayness of the sky lit up the rest of the area she was in and gave her a sense of safety – as safe as one could feel in a dark, deserted world.

_Click._

**.  
.**

Tatsuki had had enough of this party and all of the problems that came with it. Ichigo and Uryu were standing next to her protectively, not comfortable with the four others that had had her cornered prior to their interruption.

"We'rfe going to take our friend and leave. It would be wise for you to let us go without any trouble," Uryu said, a threat evident in his calm demeanor. The two jocks smiled, as if that was the last thing they were about to do.

"Why in such a hurry? We wanted to play with your little friend," one of the jocks said, his eyes devouring Tatsuki's form. Ichigo tensed angrily at the man, sure that his thoughts were disgusting.

"Well she doesn't want to play with you. We're leaving." Ichigo growled, is voice low.

"Why so shy, sweetheart? I mean, from what I hear, your pretty friend didn't put up much of a fight," the jock laughed, slapping his hands together with the other jock next to him.

Minami grinned evilly, taking pleasure at this bit of information. Naomi paled.

"What the _fuck_ is that supposed to mean?" Ichigo hissed, his voice dangerous. Now his blood was boiling, and he could feel the rage burning throughout him.

Ishida tensed next to him, his jaw in a firm line.

"It means, you silly little boy, that right about now, someone upstairs is enjoying that sweet little princess," Minami sang, her voice coated in sugar.

Ichigo did not think, his body taking over. Giving Uryu one last glance relaying the message to stay here and deal with this, he pushed past the crowd. One of the jocks reached out their hand to stop him, but he quickly and easily punched the jock in the face, not stopping for a moment.

He pushed through the crowd, uncaring of their comments. If they did not get out of his way _now_, they would be pushed out of the way.

"_Orihime…..Hold on. I'm coming."_

He made his way to the staircase, his heart beating in his chest.

Ichigo moved quickly, scared of what he was going to find.

* * *

**I am sooooo exhausted writing this! Please leave me some awesome reviews telling me to continue on! There's nothing that gives me more inspiration than that. I feel like each chapter gets better and better, I hope you guys agree. I have quite a few ideas for this fic now! Ah, it's so not gonna be five chapters. More like ten or more…Ah well!(:**

**Also…newest chapter of bleach = SQUEE.**

**Kay, Review. Best review gets a shoutout, lmao((:**


	6. screaming out your name

Shout out to all my reviewers: **XtremeGal87 –** your reviews mean so much to me, as I am a huge fan of your fics, especially your latest "After Life." Thank you for the support, and I am glad you like how I split up the scenes. **NaruHinafanboy – **I hope I didn't anger you TOO much! Haha, I take it as a good thing though, right? Glad you are enjoying the fic. **Nisey610, Lunarstar77, ****MeggzieofHyrule****, Anom, Smexianime, tenma, orange drops, war90, blue flamingo, seth, nypsy, chuchootrain, pchan, Kaji Ginjou, and Odinson, thank you for your reviews as well! Much appreciated. (:**

* * *

Ichigo made his way upstairs, despair filled behind his deep amber eyes. He had an intense feeling of uneasiness cast throughout his entire being. He was sure that if he still had his powers, his reiatsu would have been off the charts.

He knew, though, that he didn't need his powers to settle this. His fists would be enough.

Taking deep breaths, he made his was down the hall way, moving past the half conscious teenagers that littered the corridor. He ran as fast as his feet could carry him, praying he wouldn't be too late.

There were a few doors in this hallway, but he kept going until he came to one of the last doors. The dark wood of the door was foreboding; and Ichigo had a feeling it was an omen to what he was about to find on the other side. He threw open the door, and it made a loud banging noise as it connected with the wall behind it.

In that moment, the world ceased its spinning.

Ichigo felt his heart stop in his chest; the breath that had been in his lungs caught, stuck there as he processed the picture before him. He swore he could feel his blood boiling beneath his skin as he looked at the two men before him.

Lying on the giant bed laid Orihime, completely unconscious and stripped of her clothes. The only thing that still covered her body was her ruffled skirt that was pushed up to her barren, flat stomach. Ichigo's stomach twisted, the sight of her naked breasts piercing him like a sword.

There were two men inhabiting the room, one with his shirt off and pants unbuttoned, and the other one – Ichigo could feel fire rising inside him, ready to combust any second – was displaying his lower half, his jeans and boxers pushed down to his ankles as he propped himself above Orihime's unconscious form.

The men turned their attention to the livid orange-haired man staring at them, clearly seconds away from letting loose his anger on the two men.

The blonde man that had been on top of Orihime pulled away from the bed, his face portraying shock as he looked at Ichigo. He glanced at his friend, as if to say, "What are we going to do?"

The man smiled in response, clearly nonplussed by Ichigo's presence.

Ichigo's tempered flared, spiking to an all new high, past his breaking point. His rage was undeniable as his vision blurred; a malevolent expression took hold of Ichigo's face.

He clenched his fists; his knuckles white. He took that moment to etch their faces into his memory. He vowed to never forget them.

They stared back at him with a mixture of emotions on their face.

"What the fuck do you want, you little punk?" The shirtless man hissed, his eyes peering out from his thick, unruly waves. The blonde man stiffened, still standing at the edge of the bed.

"Maybe we should get out of here-," the smaller man began, only to be interrupted.

"No, fuck this, Koen! I asked this little fuck a question, and expect an answer! He better not have any ideas about joining in, that's for damn sure! She is ours!"

"I don't think that's what he came here for-," Koen tried once more, but was again ignored by Orochi.

"What the _fuck_ do you _want?_" Orochi repeated.

Ichigo stared at the man, the silence filling the room. Orochi opened his mouth to speak again, but in the next instant, was pinned against the wall with strong hand tightly wrapped around his throat.

"What do I _want?_ I _want_ to rip off your_ fucking_ head, you bastard! I _want_ to run a fucking sword through your body, and cut you to pieces one by fucking one, but lucky for you, I can't do any of the horrific things flashing through my mind that I so _desperately_ want to do." Venom filled his voice as he practically spat the words out at the disgusting man, his hand still tightly clasped around his throat.

The man smirked, an evil twinkle in his eyes. He was not fazed by the fact Ichigo was right in his face, about to strangle him. He raised his own arm to throw a punch, but it was deflected before he even started to move it towards the angry teen's face. Ichigo had released the man's throat and had grabbed his half raised arm, twisting it back so the man yelped in pain and shock. Ichigo then punched the man in the face with all the strength he could muster. His head hit the wall, and he slid down it.

After the man fell to the floor, Ichigo turned his attention to the other man in the room.

"You probably should have run when you had the chance," Ichigo said, his voice low and threatening. Koen stepped in front of Orihime, defiance on his face.

* * *

The world Orihime currently inhabited was under attack, but she didn't know what was causing it. The gray skies were pouring rain, so much rain she was sure to drown if it kept up. The pavement beneath her feet was shaking, cracking, and ripping apart. Orihime tripped, never the graceful one anyway, and landed on her knees. Jagged rock stuck up from the ground, and her knees started to bleed from the cuts that formed. She looked up at the sky, tears forming in her eyes and mingling with the rain.

"What's happening? Is anyone here?" She called, panic in her voice. "Kurosaki-kun? Sado-kun? Ishida-kun? Please, anyone? I-I don't know what going on!" Her voice echoed across the deserted world, and the sky rumbled in angry reply, thundering above her head. Lightening blared across clouds, and rain continued to beat on the world below.

"Ah! Oh ow! It hurts!" Orihime moaned, wrapping her arms around herself. Pain shot throughout her body – her stomach, her head, arms, and legs- and she collapsed on the wet ground.

"What's h-happening?" Orihime stuttered, frightened by her current situation. Her body was in pain, but she didn't know what was causing it, nor did she even know where she was and why she was so alone in the first place.

The sky rumbled again as though responding, and a light appeared. Orihime squinted in the direction, trying to determine the source. Six little globes of light were floating down from the clouds, and Orihime opened her mouth in realization:

Her Shun Shun Rikka!

Relief settled through her body for the first time since she had landed in this terrible, isolated world.

* * *

"I don't want anymore trouble. Just mind your own business," Koen stuttered, staring at the orange haired man in front of him. He couldn't help but feel nervous and intimidated by him – he was clearly pissed, and had just successfully punched Orochi – not an easy task. At the same time, he wasn't going to just let him barge in and ruin everything he had worked for.

"If you seriously think I'm going to turn by back on her and let you do what you please, you must be out of your fucking mind." Ichigo hissed, preparing to lunge forward at the man.

A noise stirred behind him, and Ichigo did not hesitate. He smoothly turned and caught Orochi's fist right as it was about to connect with his skull. Ichigo swiftly kicked the offending man in the gut, knocking him back into the wall. Orochi stood up, his expression irate as he looked at Ichigo.

"You didn't think I was about to go down that easily, did you? You are nothing but a little punk, and you are not welcome here. I'm gonna show you how _I_ deal with boys like you." Orochi said, his voice raspy and sinister.

"You got a lot of nerve talking about not being welcome! You stepped over the line of trespassing the moment you fucking touched her, you bastard! Men like you are disgusting, and I will never understand how you could do such a thing, especially to someone like _her._" Ichigo spat, advancing on the wavy haired man.

Koen took the opportunity to reclaim the woman lying on the bed, pulling her off the pillows quickly. Her body landed on the floor with a thud, catching Ichigo's attention. He dodged from the punch Orochi was about to throw once more, elbowed him forcefully in the ribs, causing him double over in pain-this gave Ichigo time to turn his attention to the other man in the room.

"What the fuck are you doing? Let her go!" Ichigo growled. He was about to advance on the blonde man in front of him, but stopped suddenly in his tracks. Koen had Orihime by the hair, her body flung across the floor, lifeless. He then tugged hard on her auburn locks, pulling her up by it, so he had his hands around her throat, her exposed skin glistening against the light. Ichigo clenched his jaw.

"I don't understand why you can't just leave me in piece – it's not like this triumphant rescue is going to salvage anything. It's much too late for that, I've already claimed her."

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock; realization flashing across his face. He hadn't thought they had gotten _that_ far...

"Y-you didn't –," Ichigo stuttered, choking on this new bit of information.

"_I was too late….I was too fucking late…those fucking bastards, how could they do that to her!" _

"Don't you come near me, or I swear I will use her as a fucking shield. It won't bother me any." Koen said, but Ichigo could hear the fear laced in his voice. Ichigo furrowed his brow, and clenched his mouth tight.

"You're going to pay for what you did to her," he whispered just loud enough for Koen to hear. He flinched nervously, but did not let the girl in his hands go. He remained unmoving in his spot, back towards to door.

"W-w-why am I-I in so much p-pain?" a small voice said, causing everyone in the room to look down at the half naked woman in Koen's arms. Ichigo's stomach turned.

Orihime had woken up.

Ichigo already knew the situation couldn't get much worse, but he had hoped she would stay unconscious for the remainder of the time in this house. He knew it would be that much harder for both of them if she was awake, taking in the violation that had occurred.

And it was.

Her eyelids were heavy and appeared to be fighting to stay open, but the expression on her face was clearly one of panic and horror. Her mouth formed in a tiny 'o', and he watched the water pool in her deep gray eyes, soon followed by tears that streaked down her face.

"Now, now, Orihime, please don't get upset." Koen whispered into her ear, turning her so her face was buried in his chest. "I won't hurt you-,"

Ichigo moved to get Koen away from her, but was suddenly knocked down by Orochi.

"_Damn it, I need him to fucking stay down! I can't get her out of here this way!"_

Ichigo turned, striking the man with brute strength. Orochi kicked Ichigo in the gut, knocking him back for a second until Ichigo grabbed Orochi's foot mid air, and twisted it around until he heard a sickening crack. Orochi cursed, and fell to the floor once more, holding his foot in pain.

"You little fucker!" Orochi yelped, glaring at Ichigo. Ichigo wasn't taking anymore chances – his fist collided with Orochi's skull, knocking the man unconscious.

A painful yelp erupted into the air from behind Ichigo, causing him to spin around. Koen suddenly jumped back from Orihime, a hand clenching his pectoral while the other remained tightly wrapped around Orihime's wrist.

"You stupid bitch! I can't believe you bit me!" Koen looked at her disgustedly, raising his free hand to strike her. Ichigo's teeth ground together, anger sending him over the edge.

"Get away from me!" Orihime shrieked, fighting against the man's hold, terrified. He released his grip on her and she fell forward onto the floor, face first. Ichigo moved to retrieve her, picking her up bridal style, and Koen took the moment to pull up his pants and head for the door.

He was stopped by what appeared to be a wall – at first glance. A second longer, and Koen realized that it was not a wall blocking his exit, but a human.

Ichigo felt a moment of relief looking at the two men in the doorway. Ishida and Chad had finally arrived.

"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime whimpered, her voice so small. Ichigo's heart broke, taking in the sight of her and hearing how fragile she truly sounded.

"Yes, Inoue, I'm here. It's over, I promise you, it's over," he said quietly, hoping to calm her. Instead she buried her face against his chest and bawled, her small body shaking in his hands.

"Oh Kurosaki-kun! It hurts…everything hurts!" Her hands flew to her bare chest, holding her heart. Ichigo grimaced, and looked away from the girl in his arms.

The image was going to kill him.

"Chad…Ishida…deal with these two. I'm going to get Orihime out of here."

Both men nodded, a solemn look on their faces.

* * *

I am SO sorry I have to end it there – I really wanted to update this fic since it's been sooo long, and I work in about 30 minutes, so this is the best I could do! It's not proofread, so please ignore any mistakes for now. This is less of a cliffhanger than usual though, right? I'll update soon, I promise! Please review!


	7. set fire to the rain

The questions have been pouring in – but I cannot answer them directly. In time, my chapters should. Thank you all for reading, and sorry for the delay. I finally got a day off! (:

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Ichigo ran as fast as he could, the panic setting into his bones. Orihime had fallen back asleep against his chest, too tired to fight the pain she was most certainly facing. The drunken teenagers were looking at Ichigo with mixed expressions, some were curious, others horrified. Orihime was still exposed, and hundreds of eyes surveyed her body. Ichigo shot them a glare, and many turned away, not wanting to deal with the orange haired man – clearly, he was not one to be messed with.

Once he was finally out of the house, he stopped for a moment to let everything sink in. The sight of Orihime's naked body – beautiful as it was – made him sick. He made his way around the corner to escape the eyes of any passerby's he might run into- though there probably wouldn't be many, as it was late and night had long since set in.

Ichigo noticed that it had started to lightly rain, and he found that both ironic and fitting.

He always hated the rain, and it seemed the rain hated him. Everytime it rained, something was taken from him. Rain automatically came with heartache, and Ichigo had learned to long for the sun.

He set Orihime gently on the ground, forcing himself to ignore her pale flesh, her milky, white skin piercing the darkness of the night. Ichigo could feel the rage boiling in him once more.

His fist slammed into the concrete of the building he had laid Orihime against, ignoring the searing pain that pulsed through it. He didn't care, he was too angry.

She was the one person who never deserved anything like this too happen to her, and yet, it did.

He pulled off his jacket, ignoring the cold air as it sent a shiver down his spine. She needed it much more than he did. Her exposed flesh was beginning to dampen, and she looked all the more fragile and helpless lying there that way. He slipped his jacket around her, and zipped it up, hiding her exposed top half. He sighed, feeling a little better now that she wasn't so indecent, though he knew the rage he was feeling probably wouldn't subside for a very long time.

He sighed once more, and ran his fingers through his damp locks.

"_Now what do I do?" _Ichigo thought to himself, slightly panicked. This whole situation was a mess, and all Ichigo wanted to do was jump in a time machine and stop it all from happening.

He looked down at the unconscious girl's tear stained face. He knew she did not wear a lot of make up, something he had heard Tatsuki explaining to some girls in class one day – they had been pretty pissed about it too, clearly jealous that Orihime didn't have to try very hard to look the way she did – but tonight, the little makeup she did have on was stained across her cheeks, the black tainting the flawless, creamy skin beneath it. It bothered Ichigo that much more, knowing she had cried. He hated when she cried.

The makeup under her eyes looked a lot like bruises, and he wanted to wipe it off. Instead, he brushed her hair behind her ears, wondering where her hairpins were.

Ichigo looked closely at Orihime's face. The expression she wore itself was one of pure horror, even in her unconscious state – her eyebrows were furrowed together, and she looked like she was having a terrible nightmare. Ichigo's stomach tightened when he realized that whatever her nightmare was about, it probably wouldn't be as bad as reality when she did wake up.

With one last glance, he made the decision on what he needed to do. He needed to keep her safe, and it was his job to take care of her – something he had failed miserably at this evening.

That wouldn't happen again.

He pulled out his cell phone from his jacket pocket, and dialed his father's number.

"Heeeelloooooo, Ichigo! Why are you calling me at this hour? Did you miss daddy?" his father's voice boomed from the other side of the line. Usually he would have made some sort of smart comment to his father about how annoying he truly was, but Ichigo did not have the time for it.

"Listen, old man, something terrible has happened, and I need your assistance. I'm on my way home, and I'm bringing Inoue. Have the clinic ready." His tone was serious. Isshin seemed to have understood, and replied with "Alright, I'll be here waiting." Ichigo clicked off the line, and put his cell phone in his back pocket. He turned his attention back to Inoue, and bent down to the sleeping beauty.

Even with the jacket on, she was still much disheveled – her hair in tangles, her shoes missing. He noticed her skirt was twisted the wrong way around, and he moved closer to her.

He fixed her skirt, a flash of anger coursing through him once more when he realized her underwear were no longer on her body. He kept his eyes on her face as he adjusted her skirt so that it covered her properly. When he finished, he lifted her back into his arms the same way he had before. Her head rolled back in her unconscious state.

He grimaced, fighting the urge to go back to the house and murder the men – if you could call them that- that had caused this.

"_Bastards, fucking disgusting bastards."_

Ichigo made his way to his father's clinic, trying his best to avoid thinking at all. All it would do is send him into a rage so great that he was sure he could shatter buildings with one punch.

When he wasn't forcefully trying not to think, he would think about the events that had unfolded in the last few hours. He would get stuck going in circles, back and forth between the disgusting men who had touched her, Orihime and the pain she was going to be facing within the next 24 hours and on, and himself – because he hadn't been there to protect her like he'd always promised. He'd failed her, in one of the times she'd need him the most.

Ichigo didn't know if he could ever cope with that. He could never forgive himself - and he wouldn't blame her if she didn't either.

Ichigo kept his brisk pace, wishing now more than ever that he had his shinigami powers – they would have already made it to his home, safe. Instead, he kept his gaze forward, refusing to rest his eyes on the beautiful auburn haired girl in his arms – it would break him more than he would ever dream if he did.

.

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Tatsuki had been a bit confused and bewildered upon entering the upstairs bedroom. Once she did, anger and confusion were instantly replaced by her boiling temperament.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Tatsuki asked, her hands clenched in fists at her sides. Uryu and Chad were having a brawl with two half dressed men – and there was no sign of her best friend of any spiky orange hair either.

"These two had Inoue. Kurosaki is taking her to the clinic…." Ishida said through gritted teeth. He had Koen pinned against the wall by his throat, though Koen was struggling to get free. Ishida sent a swift kick to his groan, causing him to double over in agony. "Fuck!" He growled, clenching his sides.

"What do you mean they had Inoue? What did they do to her?" Tatsuki hissed, approaching Koen and Ishida. Tatsuki noted that another man was lying on the floor, holding his foot. He gave Tatsuki a satisfied smirk.

"'What didn't we do to her?' is probably a better question. Bitch didn't even put up a fight – not that she could."

"Why I outta-" Tatsuki started, only to be restrained by Chad. "Don't. The police are already on their way."

Tatsuki looked at the giant man restraining her, and raised an eyebrow.

"Let me go, Sado! I don't give a shit if there's a swat team, a helicopter, and a bomb squad coming as well, he will deal with me first!"

"Like I'm scared of a little whore like you? Right," Orochi muttered. The vein in Tatsuki's head began to pulse, and Chad could have sworn she just raised her spiritual pressure.

"Let me go, Chad. The police will be here any second. I promise I won't kill him, but I will make him pay." Tatsuki said in a low voice, her eyes full of hatred.

"Arisawa – "

"Please. Let me do this much for Orihime." She pulled out of Chad's grip – not that he was holding on very hard at this point – and walked towards Orochi who was lying on the floor. Koen's eyes widened in alarm, and Ishida looked on hesitantly.

"So you like to hurt people, do you? Like to walk in, turn the world upside down, and laugh? Well I don't think anything about this situation is funny. Men like you make me so sick, and burning in hell wouldn't be a big enough punishment for someone like you. That girl you just soiled – did you even know her name? I'm sure you didn't."

Tatsuki paused, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat.

Standing over Orochi, she continued.

"I bet you also didn't know that girl isn't your ordinary girl – she's a fucking miracle. She's the one case where her heart matches her face – pure, innocent, and beautiful – and you went and just took from her because you thought it was funny? I'm sorry, no. Orihime has already faced so much hardship in her life, and you are hopefully going to endure a whole lot more after today."

Tatsuki crouched down to look him square in the eye, her nose less than an inch from his. Her eyes were full of unshed tears.

Tatsuki thought back through all the years she'd known Orihime, and her heart ached.

_Her face when they cut her hair, before they had really been friends…_

_The teasing the school kids gave her about her hair color and her clothes…_

_The hurt feelings she had over never knowing her parents…_

_The night her brother died…_

_Her kidnapping…_

_The two arrancar who made her feel like a monster…_

_The story Orihime had told her of Ichigo dying on the dome…_

_The guilt she had for not being able to heal Ichigo…_

_The guilt she had of not being able to protect Ichigo…_

_The guilt she had of not being able to bring his powers back…_

"_Poor Orihime, always in pain because of things that are out of her control…" _Tatsuki thought, her stomach tight. She felt sick.

She turned her attention back to the man on the floor, who looked extremely nonchalant.

"You're acting like I give a fuck, princess, and I don't. That heartwarming guilt trip doesn't work on me."

"Yeah? Well I didn't expect it to." Tatsuki stood up and fixed her skirt, brushing off all the emotions as she did.

She turned to walk away, her eyes downcast. Ishida and Chad looked at her, unsure of what to do.

"Is that all you wanted to do, sweetheart? Am I dealt with now?" Orochi's voice called to her backside. Tatsuki smirked, her eyes covered by her hair.

The next thing Orochi knew, he was knocked out.

.

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Ichigo finally made it to the clinic, sprinting full speed inside to meet his father.

"Ichigo, what the hell happened?" Isshin said seriously, his eyes wide at Orihime's dishevelment.

"S-she…she was raped. I need you to help her." Ichigo said, a graveness to his voice. Isshin's eyes widened in shock and horror for a moment. He regained his composure, and glanced at the girl that Ichigo had layed on the platform.

"I need you to help her, Dad." Ichigo repeated, his tone wavering. For a moment, Isshin saw a small, orange haired boy with tears in his eyes, calling for Masaki and his heart ached for his son. That boy had been gone for so long, Isshin wasn't expecting it. With a solemn face, he offered a nod in reply.

"Alright, well I know what I need to do. Call Ryuuken Ishida first, he has more stuff to work with and I could use his help. Next I need you to call the police."

"They've already been called, I'm pretty sure they're back at the party…" Ichigo said, his eyes glued to the auburn haired girl on the table. He glenched his jaw.

"That's good, but I need you to call them to let them know where Orihime-chan is currently, and update them on the situation. They need to know everything, and they'll probably want to interview her and see her for themselves."

"Interview her? She's not even conscious at the moment!"

"I'm aware of that, Ichigo, but they're gonna question her as much as they can as soon as she wakes up."

"Alright. I'll make the calls right now..." Ichigo said, turning on his heel to enter the next room.

"And dad?" Ichigo called over his shoulder.

"Yes, son?"

"I'll be right back, if she wakes up, you call me right away."

"Of course." Isshin said. Ichigo left Isshin with Orihime, missing the knowing look on his dad's face.

Outside, the rain began to pour.

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Review(:


	8. longing for your smile

If Ichigo could erase one memory forever from his mind, it would, without a doubt, be the moment Orihime woke up from her unconscious state.

He knew that it wasn't going to be pretty, but he could never have imagined the physical pain the heartbreak was causing both of them.

A few moments after Ichigo had phoned the police, Ishida Ryuuken had appeared at the door with a group of nurse and some supplies in hand. He had let them in quickly, and pointed in the direction that they needed to go.

Ryuuken had explained that it would be easier to leave Orihime where she was, as most of the supplies needed were provided at the Kurosaki Clinic, and that he just brought a few extra supplies for precautionary reasons. Isshin was also happy to see that Ishida had brought a few of his skilled nurses with him, as Yuzu and Karin were too young to be involved with this particular case. He'd eventually have to explain it to them, but that would wait until later.

They began taking samples to run tests with the supplies from the Rape Kit. Ichigo had heard the words "STDs" and pregnancy" thrown around from inside the room and it took all he had not to pass out. The very thought of Orihime carrying that bastard's child made him want to run him through with Zangetsu. Ichigo may have lost his powers, but he almost swore he had just raised his reiatsu in his anger. He could almost see red at the though, clearly imagining what his hollow would say and do about the situation. His blood was boiling.

"_Please, don't let her be pregnant…for fuck's sake, enough's enough…"_

Ichigo forced himself to take deep breaths in attempt to calm himself down.

Awhile passed and his dad and Ishida finished collecting samples. Blood tests, swab tests, saliva. All were checks for that bastard's DNA and to see what she had been drugged with (which they were all pretty positive she had been.) The nurses had inspected her clothes and removed all evidence they could find. Upon waking, Orihime would give them a urine sample as well.

Ryuuken left the room where Orihime was staying and headed a few rooms down, his nurses closely behind. They had finished collecting data.

Ichigo sighed, not wanting to leave the entry room. He was angry. His long form leaned against the door panel, cell phone still clutched tightly in his hands.

A small voice from the room over caught his attention.

"Kurosaki-kun?" it called and Ichigo's heart stopped. It was time to go back inside.

She needed him, after all, and could not waste time.

He made his way into the room, eyeing the figure on the cot. She had been changed into a hospital gown, and cleaned. She looked considerably better, but he did not take any relief in that.

Confused and disorientated, Orihime surveyed the room around her, her eyes wide and panic evident on her face. Ichigo was the first person there, next to Isshin, which brought her little comfort. Her whole body hurt, sore from prior incidents that she couldn't remember. When she tried to think back to what happened, it all came up blank, like a fog that was too thick to see through.

The only thing she really did remember was her dream, with the pitch black sky and rumbling thunder. When the sky had finally lightened to a gray, little yellow orbs had appeared- which then turned out to be her Shun Shun Rikka. What that had to do with everything else, she had no idea. None of it made any sense, though she wasn't so much as interested in her dreams as she was to why she was laying in a hospital bed to begin with.

She would've been concerned under normal circumstances. Waking up in the hospital and not remembering why would be pretty stress inducing for anyone, but what was sending her over the edge was the look plastered on Ichigo's face. Something terrible had to have happened for him to look the way he did.

She took in her arms and legs, and noticed some bruises lightly speckled her pale flesh. She also noticed she was no longer wearing her floral skirt or favorite ruffled top, but a hospital gown that someone – hopefully not Ichigo – had changed her into.

Orihime hoped it wasn't as bad as it seemed to be; maybe she had fell down the stairs and that's why she couldn't remember – after all, she was very clumsy. Maybe little blue men had zapped her brain away right before she fell and that's why she couldn't remember…

"Wha….what happened?" Her voice came out small and weak, wavering in fear. She could feel her lip quivering, scared of what she would find out… it was all so confusing! She remembered all the pain, being hit, and a bedroom, but trying to piece together all of it seemed impossible. It was like she had the pieces to the wrong puzzle all mixed in a box.

"Inoue….I…ah…." Ichigo sputtered, unsure of where to start. His hand found its way to his hair once again, wishing away this whole mess.

"Orihime-chan, you're in the hospital. Can you tell me if you remember anything?" Isshin's voice came. Orihime frowned.

"I don't remember much of anything…I was at a party with my friends…and I met a nice guy…or no, that's not right…" Orihime trailed off, wrinkling her nose. Ichigo could barely take the suspense. He did not want to tell her what had happened. He briefly wished they could all just lie to her and pretend like nothing happened, if only to protect her from the pain and heartbreak she was going to feel…but he knew that was wrong, and would never do it. This was something he could not protect her from.

"I thought I had met a nice guy, because he saved me from two mean girls in the bathroom…we were talking and then…then that's it really…it's kinda fuzzy after that…why…why am I here? Did I fall down the stairs or something? I've always been really clumsy, you know! It's not that big of a deal because I'm super strong like a superhero! I eat..."

"Orihime-chan," Isshin began, quietly interrupting Orihime. He was nervous about how this was going. He exchanged glances with his son who had a pained expression on his face. He decided to try and jog her memory further. "Did he give you anything to drink?" Isshin pushed, hoping to lead her closer to the conclusion. Orihime thought briefly before she nodded slowly and mumbled, "I think so." Isshin sighed.

"Orihime-chan…I have to tell you what happened, and I know it's going to upset you but you must know. That boy you met drugged you, which is why I imagine you don't remember anything after you drank it, as it was really strong… too strong, almost." Isshin finished. Orihime looked horror struck by this news, and Ichigo could see the questions in her eyes.

"What? I was…drugged? But why?" she asked, and Ichigo had to force himself not to run out of the room right then and there. The innocence and naivety shone bright in her eyes, and Ichigo could not stand that someone had tainted that. She did not deserve it. These would be her last few moments with her innocence fully in tact, once he told her she would no longer be the same…

"Orihime-chan, is there anything else you remember? I'll answer your questions in just a moment, but I need to know if there's anything else you remember. What happened after you sipped the drink he gave you?"

Orihime thought for a moment and looked Isshin square in the eye. "I woke up here in the Kurosaki Clinic. That's all I really remember."

Ichigo stiffened in alarm at what she had just said. Something was wrong here, and did not match up with what happened…

"Inoue, are you sure you don't remember anything after passing out?" Ichigo asked, interrupting his father who had been about to speak.

"I'm sorry Kurosaki-kun, but no, I don't." Orihime replied, looking at him worriedly.

"So you don't remember waking up?" Ichigo asked quietly, glancing carefully to gage her reaction. She looked dumbfounded, as did Isshin.

"What do you mean waking up?" Orihime asked, confused. She was growing more frightened by the second. The two men in the room with her seemed to have been hit by some devastation that went beyond her being drugged... what could have happened?

"Inoue, I came…I went to save you. As I was rescuing you…trying to get you away from them…you woke up. You pushed that guy away from you and when I finally got to you, you told me that you were in pain…. I got you out of that bedroom the moment Ishida and Chad arrived. You don't remember any of that?"

Ichigo searched Orihime's eyes and all he could find in her deep, gray orbs was confusion and fear.

"I don't remember that at all."

Ichigo looked to his father who seemed to have a concerned expression on his face. He would have to fill in his father later on that part of the story, but Ichigo knew something was wrong.

"_Why wouldn't she remember that? She was drugged before I go there, so she should remember that, even if it was in still in her system... It shouldn't have been completely erased from her mind…"_

"Kurosaki-kun…why…why would he do that? I mean, why was I drugged? What did he want from me?" Orihime asked quietly. Ichigo could feel his face turning red. He did not want to tell her that that guy had raped her, and worse still that another guy had almost joined in and participated….Ichigo felt sick and disgusted. It was hard to believe people like that were even human. He had met hollows and Espada with more fucking tact.

How was he expected to say the words that would be responsible for shattering her heart into a million pieces? In what way would Inoue be able to put those little shards back together once he spoke the words that would connect all the dots in her head? He did not want to. This was beyond his strength; this was his limit. This would not only break her, but him too. He had finally met his match…

But with any match Ichigo had ever taken place in, he knew he could not give up. He knew what had to be done.

"Inoue… when he drugged you, he did it for his own selfish reasons…we were too late to stop him from what he did…he, uh, he…took advantage of you, Inoue. I am so sorry." Ichigo said quietly, averting his eyes carefully. His gut hoped she'd understand the meaning behind his words, as naïve as she was. He did not want to elaborate.

"Took advantage of me? What do…wait…you don't mean…oh….oh no…!" Orihime squealed, her eyes widening in horror and despair. Her eyes fell to her lap, tears falling onto her hospital gown, blurring her vision. She began to hiccup uncontrollably, her breathing uneven. Her sobs echoed in the infirmary.

"_That explains why I'm so sore….I can't believe someone was down there, that someone touched me that way…I can't believe all this happened…What must everyone think of me!"_

In that moment, Ichigo hated himself more than ever before.

"I'm afraid my son told you the truth, Orihime-chan….I am terribly sorry…no woman deserves that, least of all you…"

Tears pooled in her eyes and she couldn't stop the gasps that came from her mouth. The news was just too much to bear. Her body began shaking and she clutched herself, as if hoping to block out anything that might touch her. Ichigo averted his eyes, unsure of what to do. Would it be appropriate to hug her? Pat her on the back? It wouldn't take away what happened, not one bit, but he wanted to do something...

As Ichigo was figuring out what to do, a blur of black and blue streaked in front behind him. It was Tatsuki, and she was on a mission. "Orihime!" She gasped, sliding to a stop in front of the girl's bed. "Orihime, I'm here!" The girl whispered, flinging her arms around her friend. Orihime flinched momentarily, but then quickly relaxed in her best friend's arms, sobbing.

"He….he…raped me Tatsuki!" Orihime squealed between sobs, and Ichigo's heart broke all over again. How many shatters could his heart take before there was nothing left?

Orihime wiped her eyes and looked up. As Ichigo had watched the scene before him, Ishida and Chad had appeared behind him, silently watching in disbelief and regret. Isshin took the opportunity to politely excuse himself, as the police were outside and there was much work to be done.

Minutes ticked by before Orihime said anything. Everything was quiet; the only sound coming from the room was that of Orihime's muffled sobs. Tatsuki was holding her friend in her arms, comforting her like a mother would, trying to whisper words of comfort in Orihime's ear. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Isshin spoke up.

"The police are outside and they're going to want to talk to you, Orihime-chan. I'll talk them first to give you some time, but be prepared, okay?" Isshin said, turning to leave. He gave Ichigo a nod, and Ichigo understood the look in his eyes as "take care of her."

"_I've already failed miserably at that…"_

"My head is spinning." Orihime said quietly, and clutched her head as though it would stop by doing so. Tatsuki had not left her side.

"Orihime, I'm so sorry I wasn't there! I was trying to get to you…I'll never forgive myself as long as I live!" Tatsuki said, and for the first time in Ichigo's life, he saw Tatsuki cry. Tears ran down her face, and the guilt was evident in her eyes.

"Don't….don't blame yourself, Tatsuki! It's all my fault! I shouldn't have run off…"Orihime whispered, hugging her best friend close. Ichigo moved to sit on the end of her cot, letting her know that he was there for support too.

"Do you remember anything?" Tatsuki asked.

"I don't remember anything that happened to me, no…just…everything right before...Kurosaki-kun says I woke up some time during my rescue but I don't remember that…"

Ishida glanced at Ichigo and Ichigo nodded in acknowledgement. It was bothering him as to why she did not remember that part. It had killed him when she had woken up in the middle of it all, half naked and vulnerable….

Her face then had been one of pure horror, and even now she looked broken beyond prepare.

Would he ever see her smile again?

"_Why her?"_ Ichigo grumbled to himself. Why was it always her?

.

.

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Andddddd I'm sorry kiddies, but it's ending there. This chapter was 100% exhausting! It took me so long because I rewrote it multiple times!

Also, sorry for the delay. Just know that none of my stories are on hold except for Rose Colored Glasses, so don't worry. I know, I'm slow…but in my defense, my home town was flooded and it's been fun trying to get readjusted.

Please leave a review!


	9. behind sad eyes

The night did not progress any better for the Karakura teens. They would look back on it as one of the worst nights of their lives. Ichigo himself knew it would be forever etched into his mind, waiting for him behind his eyelids at night when he finally had to give in and replay the images and memories that waited for him before he could finally fall to sleep. He knew this fact all too well, and it only deepened the pain. There was no escape.

The police had shown up at the door of the Kurosaki clinic, and Isshin had been there to greet them and explain the situation. They had talked to each one of the teenagers, and all gave the same story and explanation, just from different view points. They wanted to speak with Inoue, but Isshin had told them that tonight was not the best time and that maybe tomorrow would be better, as she just woke up and had no idea what was going on. Isshin had explained that she had been date raped, and could not remember the events that happened to her, so waiting an extra day would not make a difference. Still, the police pushed to talk to the auburn haired beauty, and Isshin sighed, allowing them in. Ichigo was not so willing.

"What's the fucking difference if you talk to her now or later? She's been through a lot and the last thing she needs is you guys in her face! Just give her some time." He growled at the officer, receiving a death glare in response and a smile of approval from Tatsuki.

"Listen here, boy, we have a protocol to follow. You my not like it, they may not like it, but that's just too damn bad. We're talking to her now. I have a job to do." The officer pushed his way past Ichigo and the group of teenagers, disapproval etched on all of their faces.

They followed the police into the room so that they would be there with Inoue when the questioning began, but the man turned on his heels.

"I need to talk to her alone, so if you don't mind-,"

"I do mind. I don't see the harm in us being in there to support her." Ichigo hissed at the cop, and all his friends nodded.

"I can only allow the doctor in there with me at the time of questioning. Sorry, kid." The cop said, ignoring the tone in Ichigo's voice. "Even if you were there, this is confidential information and I cannot allow you to be in there." Ichigo sighed.

Isshin followed the man into the room, nodding at Ichigo as if to say he would make sure everything was okay. Ichigo ran his hand through his hair, and Tatsuki leaned against the wall, allowing herself to slide down until she was sitting on the floor, defeated.

The tears began to sting her eyes before she knew it, and she blinked them away, surprised. It had been so long since the tomboy had cried.

And when it rains, it pours.

Soon, more tears followed and flowed down her face freely and Tatsuki stopped brushing them away, uncaring.

"It's all my fault. I was supposed to be with her." She whispered to no one in particular, swallowing the lump that had formed into her throat. She closed her lids slowly, hoping that when she reopened them she'd find herself in her bed, shaking off a nightmare.

She didn't.

Ichigo, Ishida, and Chad soon joined Tatsuki on the floor against the wall.

"Don't, Tatsuki. Don't. It's not your fault. It's mine." Ichigo murmured, his head leaning against the wall, staring blankly into the distance. He had vowed a long time ago that he would be the one to protect her from harm. He had failed shortly after and he had failed once again.

He was fucking weak and it had cost him a price too high.

"She...she doesn't deserve this…she's the last person on Earth who…deserves something like this." Tatsuki whispered, ignoring Ichigo. "I should have stopped those slime balls…"

"I think we can all agree that we all feel guilty…Inoue-san is someone worth protecting and we failed her miserably tonight…I don't think I can forgive myself..." Ishida quietly said, adding to the pile of guilt that was building in the room. Chad nodded.

"She's already endured so much...it's going to be a lot harder after tonight. This is just the beginning." Chad's quiet words clung to the air poignantly, causing everyone to swallow in suspense.

It was only the beginning. This would not go away in the morning. They could not erase it in one swift motion, could not slice it with a zanpakutou, they could not reject it…it would always be there, following them…

"How do you rid yourself of a shadow? Hide in the darkness? Is that how you live after something like this?" Ichigo wondered to himself. He could feel the anger burning nd coursing through his veins, heat rising so that all he saw was red.

He couldn't control it for long.

"It's all my fucking fault!" Ichigo exclaimed, anger consuming him. He swore he could vaguely hear his hollow's old but familiar cackle in his ear and he stood and punched the wall next to him.

It hurt, but it didn't bother him. Nothing could hurt as much as this situation did. All the fights he had ever endured, the stabs and beatings, none of it even measured up.

He'd readily do those all over again in exchange.

"Ichigo, stop! You're just gonna cause a scene. Orihime doesn't need to be worrying about you right now! Besides, you're flattering yourself too much; this is much bigger than just you!"

"Don't you think I know that Tatsuki?" Ichigo hissed, turning his venom stare towards the girl. Tatsuki had risen to look him straight in the eye.

"Then stop being such a baka! I'm her best friend! This is really my fault! I'm the one who let her run off into the crowd and let those stupid jocks get to her! It was all…me…." Tatsuki's voice broke, and she turned away from the orange haired boy so that her back was facing him, her stare directed at the wall and her arms crossed in defiance.

"Ichigo. I know, okay? I know. I understand how this feels; we're all in the same boat as you are. But punching the wall won't change anything." She whispered, and Ichigo felt himself submerge in guilt once more. All of his friends were hurting here, not just him.

"And neither will blaming yourself. Both of you need to stop…the blame can easily be shared here." Ishida added, his demeanor one of hopelessness.

Tatsuki sniffled, tired of fighting back the tears and returned to her spot on the floor next to Chad, who awkwardly patted the girl on the shoulder in attempt to comfort her. Ichigo remained standing, restless.

Finally the police man emerged from the room with Isshin right behind him.

"You can go see her now, if you guys wish."

Ichigo did not hesitate. He was through the door in a matter of seconds, as was the rest of Orihime's nakama.

"Inoue…how are you?" Ichigo started, stopping at the edge of her cot. Her eyes were distant, as though she were not even on the same planet as the rest of the teenagers. If Ichigo hadn't known any better, he would have thought that she hadn't heard him.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she spoke.

"There….were…two... you didn't tell me that there were two….of them…"she answered quietly, her voice broken and barely audible. Her eyes remained locked on the window, never blinking.

"Oh, Inoue…there was so much happening I almost forgot about the other bastard! He didn't touch you, I promise…I made sure of it…"Ichigo answered, the shame evident on his face. He had completely forgotten to tell Inoue that there was another man in on it, but breaking the first part to her had taken so much strength, he had forgotten the rest.

He took satisfaction in knowing that that Orochi bastard hadn't touched her.

"I…see…well, that's good then, I guess…" Orihime said, her voice dull. The nakama eyed one another unsure of how to handle the situation. Never had they seen the auburn haired girl so lifeless. She looked like a porcelain doll, a shell of herself…empty…

"Orihime," Tatsuki murmured, sitting at the edge of the girls bed. She lightly grabbed the girls foot and gave it a squeeze to which Orihime did not react to in the slightest.

"What did they ask you?" Tatsuki tried again, hoping to get some reaction out of the girl.

"They…they wanted to know what I remembered. I didn't have much to tell them…I just told them about Koen…Kurosaki-san stepped in and explained that they were running tests on me…you know, for diseases and …stuff…" Orihime said, her face unmoving. Ichigo's fists clenched at the mention of the tests, his fear coming to attention once more.

"Orihime…I'm…I'm so so-," Tatsuki began, only to be cut off by Orihime.

"It's fine Tatsuki. I'm not a little girl anymore, you know…I…I don't need you here to protect me from bullies who might cut my hair…it's my fault…not yours…I…should be taking care of myself by now…if I were stronger this wouldn't have happened…," Orihime trailed off, a tear sliding down her cheek.

A pained expression crossed all of the nakama's faces, unsure of what to do or what to say to the broken auburn haired girl that lay before them.

"Orihime…that's not true…you've never been anything but strong!" Tatsuki exclaimed, tears sparkling in her eyes. Chad had moved closer to the girl in order to offer her moral support. He was a silent type, not saying much, but this made him more observant than the others, and he could tell Tatsuki was getting closer to her breaking point. Uryu and Ichigo noticed the silent comfort that Chad was offering the girl and moved closer as well. They all needed each other.

"That's a lie, Tatsuki…you know better than I that that's not true…just think about every…everything that's happened to me in my life! All of it….all of it's because I couldn't protect myself….it's like I almost deserve this…for being so…weak…" Orihime whimpered, her voice squeaking on the last word. More tears began to flow down her cheeks. Ichigo was standing next to her cot, and put his hand on her shoulder. She flinched for a moment, startled by his touch, but then relaxed into it, her eyes still avoiding his.

"Inoue…I don't… no one here thinks that. You…don't deserve this…no one does, but…never say that someone as kind hearted as you deserves something like this. It makes me fucking sick." Ichigo spit out, searching for the right words. He was mad that those bastards made her feel that way. Enraged to the point where he could barely contain himself. He searched her eyes to read her, and though he had been so good at it in the past, he wasn't having as much luck this time around. Her expression change slightly, so suble Ichigo barely caught it, and it was only enough for him to know she had registered his words, but otherwise she remained blank like a piece of paper. None of her thoughts conveyed across her face, and for someone like Inoue, that worried him.

"I…I'm so tired." Inoue finally said, choosing to change the topic. She didn't want to talk about this anymore, not right now, not ever. She just needed time to think about everything and take it all in. Right now, it was too fresh in her mind, too new, too much…

The tears strung her eyes again for what seemed like the millionth time that night. She slowly closed her lids, hoping to herself that she would never have to open them again.

**.**

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**.**

Many thanks to** IchigoxOrihimeKurosaki, energetic, JJ, Wyvernhail, ichihime shaz, nypsy, war 90, and Aiaska! **Your reviews mean so much to me!I'm so glad that I still have you as readers, I was kind of worried I lost a bunch of you with my awfully late chapters ): . Hopefully this one makes up for it as it was much faster than the last! It's nice not having to apologize this time around, I started this chapter as soon as I updated the last one!

Also, I will say this: Some of you are right on the money in your reviews, which worries me. Either I am too obvious or you guys are way too smart. Hahahaha. (: Stay tuned, kiddies!

Lastly, this fic will **not** be going on Hiatus, probably not ever. I actually have ideas for this fic. Though I had originally planned a short 5 chapter story, this will now be a full blown multi-chapter. (:

Review!


	10. unbreakable glass

The morning came too soon for Orihime Inoue, who had felt that only moments ago she had just fallen into a numbing slumber. Reality was too harsh for her to register, all of it made her feel like she was a 3rd grader trying to solve extremely complex math problem meant for a college student. She didn't stand a chance.

The first sight she saw when she open her eyes in the Kurosaki clinic was the bright sunlight that streamed into the window, too happy and positive for her to take pleasure in.

The second was the vision of spiky orange hair.

Orihime sat up slowly, surprised to see Ichigo lying next to her cot, sleeping in the chair in what looked to be an extremely uncomfortable position.

Orihime soon noticed that not only was Ichigo here with her, but Sado-kun, Ishida-kun, and Tatsuki had all fallen to various places on the floor at some point in the night. For the first time in what felt like forever, a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

A small smile spread to her lips for the first time that day.

She was loved.

And for that, at least, she very was thankful.

**. .**

The rest of the morning passed slowly for Orihime. She had remained in her cot staring at the sleeping forms of her friends. As she did, she thought about the events of the night before.

Fact 1: She had been drugged by a stranger who she thought was a nice man. She had been severely mistaken about that.

Fact 2: This man and one of his friends had taken advantage of her, though only one had actually physically touched her in that way. _Thank God for that. At least, if there's one bright side to any of this, it's that it was just one guy…_

Fact 3: Apparently at some point during all of this, she had woken up. She didn't remember any of it, though Ichigo had told her she had spoke to him and pushed one of those men away from her…

Fact 4: It was bothering her immensely that she did not remember this.

Fact 5: She had spent the night in the Kurosaki clinic. Kurosaki-san had run some more tests on her, and she had peed in a cup (much to her dismay). She would probably be hearing about the results sometime today.

"_What if…what if I'm pregnant or something? I…I don't know what I would do…an innocent baby...I'd be taking care of it all alone! I wouldn't want that man near me…how would I explain this at all? Oh, God! Please no…I can't deal with that…"_

Thoughts swirled in Orihime's head, one after another until she was sure she couldn't breathe from the sheer weight of the anxiety coursing through her veins. She had to remain calm. Getting worked up would not help her solve her problems, and Orihime was a problem solver when it came down to it.

"_Calm down, Orihime, calm down. There's no proof yet that I'm pregnant. So there's still a chance I'm not! And If I am pregnant, I am keeping the baby. That is no room for argument on that. I could never terminate an innocent little baby, even if the father was someone…someone who raped me…," _Orihime thought to herself, determination flashing in her eyes.

"_And if I have to have this baby, I will be the best mother possible! I never had one, so this will be a good opportunity to makeup for that…" _Orihime thought to herself.It did not matter if this baby would make school harder for her or that her finances were tight, she would make it work. She was blessed with a brain, though many people would be surprised to know it.

She eyed her friends yet again and studied their faces. They looked tired, and even after hours of sleep, Orihime could see the guilt plastered on their faces. She frowned deeper, matching Ichigo's usual scowling expression.

"_This will not ruin my life or change me. I…I can't let my friends down. I am…not someone who is strong like them, but I must not be a burden on my friends…they have already done enough for me. I will deal with my problems on my own. I will do my best to be strong through this!"_

Ichigo stirred in his sleep, making a weird gasping nose as he adjusted in his chair. "…damn old man!" He muttered in his sleep, and Orihime almost smiled for a second time that day. Almost.

He turned on his side until finally, somewhere in the depths of his unconsciousness, he gave up and stirred, slowly wakening from his sleep.

He looked groggy eyed and confused as he sat in his chair, wiping his eyes and yawning.

"Where am –," He began, then quickly stopped himself. It all came flooding back to him in a matter of a second, and Orihime watched him visibly wince.

"Inoue!" He whispered, his eyes shooting to the girl on the bed. She had not taken her eyes off of the orange haired boy, quietly watching him and gauging his reaction. She did not smile as she greeted him, merely nodded her head shyly.

"Ohayo, Kurosaki-kun…," Orihime said quietly, her gaze not quite reaching his eyes.

"_What must he think of me now? Kurosaki-kun is kind, and cares a lot for his friends…but I doubt he'll ever want to be with me with…everything that's happened…," _Orihime thought sadly. The realization hit her like a bag of bricks, and she wished she had the ability to turn herself invisible.

She forced herself not to cry.

"Ohayo, Inoue…," Ichigo said gently, standing up from his seat. He looked hesitant to approach the girl, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to upset her, especially in her fragile state. He settled for crossing his arms and sitting at the edge of her bed instead of trying to hug her. Ichigo wasn't good at that, after all.

"How…how are you feeling?" Ichigo asked, his gaze focused on the auburn haired beauty. He was trying to search her eyes, but she was careful to avoid his stare, embarrassed and hurt after everything that happened.

"As good as can be expected, I suppose." Orihime finally answered, after racking her brain for a response. She had a ton of thoughts swirling in her head, so many more negative thoughts than she usually did, but she thought to herself that that had to be normal. After all she endured the night before, it was to be expected. She wondered if the weight she felt would ever lighten, if anything would return to normal. She wanted to laugh again, she did not want this to determine her life; but she also knew she would need time to work through it. She had worked through Hueco Mundo, she would work through this.

A minute passed before Ichigo spoke again, struggling with his words once more.

"Inoue…if you need to talk about it…you know that I'm here…I mean, I'm not good with words or anything but I'm a good listener…same goes for everyone else…you're not alone, you know." Ichigo said, trying to probe her thoughts. She was being distant, so much different from her usual self. It scared him.

Orihime blinked at him in response, surprised at his forwardness. Ichigo was not one for opening up; he often buried his feelings deep inside of him and dealt with his frustrations and problems his own way. It was unusual for him to do other wise, even when his friends would try to force it out of him; so for him to initiate it was definitely rare. Orihime felt a pang of guilt; she was burdening Ichigo once again with her problems.

She sighed.

Why did she always need to be saved? Better yet, why did he always come to save her? After so many times, she wouldn't blame him if he just gave up…

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun. That means a lot to me, but I don't really want to talk about it…at least not right now…I have a lot going on up here," Orihime replied, pointing to her head. She leaned her head back against the pillow. She was still tired, after all the sleep she had gotten. She had a feeling she would feel this way for a long time.

"_Those fucking scum bags! They made her this way," _He cursed to himself. He knew he'd always feel angry, that it would never go away. He would have to live with this rage that flowed through him, along with the guilt and regret.

The night before, after Inoue had fallen asleep, Tatsuki had filled them all in on what had happened back at the party. Uryu, Tatsuki, and Chad had waited in the room with the rapists, so that they would be there when the police arrived. A huge commotion had started when the police had come and tried to arrest them. All the other party goers had scattered, afraid of being busted for their own reasons. Orochi and Koen had thrown a fit at the arrest, shouting out profanities and insults at both the police and the Karakura gang.

They had tried to go down on top by yelling out all the "victories" they had had in the past, which only lead the police and the teens to assume their had been _other_ girls who had been victimized by their evil acts.

Tatsuki had decided in that moment, to deliver the final blow to their ego. She did so by telling the police about the other jocks and the two girls downstairs who had played their part, either by not stopping the two men upstairs or by trying to keep Tatsuki, Chad, Ichigo, and Uryu from saving Orihime. She explained that she knew they were in on it from their comments downstairs, and how they had been cornered and harassed through out the night by them.

So the police had taken everyone from that group into custody, and Tatsuki had grinned at them as they were pushed into the police car, waving happily.

From there, the police escorted Tatsuki, Chad, and Ishida to the Kurosaki clinic. They had known to go there for two reasons: first, because the police had received a call their about a rape, and second, because everyone knew where Ichigo would go in his time of panic. (Ichigo had rolled his eyes at this part, saying he was _not_ that predictable, to which everyone disagreed.)

"Inoue…," Ichigo started, frowning at the girl. He did not like this at all. She would not want to hear any of this, but he had been told the night before about today's agenda, and so he thought it best to get it over with.

"Inoue…you're going to have a long day ahead of you…my dad said they apprehended the culprits, which isn't really surprising…I mean, from the way Tatsuki put it, they were sitting there ready for the taking when they called the police." Ichigo started, bearing the bad news. _"Let's just get this out of the way…"_

"Not only do we have evidence it was them, but we all saw it _and_ they were half dressed when they were arrested at the party. I mean, it's not hard to figure out...I…I wasn't there for any of that though, I was with you here…so they're going to want you to identify Koen for them, just to make sure they have all corners covered." Ichigo spoke slowly, regretfully. She would not want to take any part in this, would not want to see his face again. She shouldn't have to, but at least this would put the bastard behind bars.

Orihime's eyes widened in fear. She quickly looked at her legs, hiding her face from Ichigo.

"_I don't want to see the man that did this to me! I much prefer him as a blurry memory in my head! When I see him it will become so real…it will be set in stone and I'll remember his face so clearly…every time I close my eyes…it will be all I see…"_

"I…I…I…" Orihime stuttered, tears starting to fall from her eyes once more. Ichigo was startled by her sudden outburst of tears. He knew she would not take this news well, but she seemed to be terrified. He saw her fists clench the blankets beneath her, watched her collapse in on herself, shaking. Her head lay against her knees, her face away from him. He stood up from the bed and moved closer to the girl so that he was by her side.

"Inoue…it'll be okay! I know you don't want to see that bastard again, but I promise that he won't hurt you anymore. I'll be there to protect you…I know I failed at it the first time, and I'm so sorry, Inoue…I'm so sorry…but this needs to be done to assure that he ends up behind bars for good. We already have all the evidence we really need, but your word will seal the deal…plus, the cops are hoping that if you identify him, other girls might come forward and do the same…," Ichigo explained, hoping to console her. He knew her kind heart was strong, and he knew that she couldn't pass on a chance to help others. She never did.

"Others? There have been more?" Orihime squeaked, eyes widening. _"They did this to other girls?"_

"From what we gathered and what they apparently yelled at the police while being taken away in the cop car, it's safe to assume that, yes." Ichigo's jaw clenched tight, sickened by the two men. _"How do men do something like that to someone? Girls are to be respect and looked out for, they're not meant to be used for some selfish gain…it's fucking sick."_Over the last 12 hours, Ichigo had thought a lot about this, and he realized he would never be able to wrap his brain around it. He was always taught to respect woman, to cherish them, to never lay a hand on them. How could it be that others were not? That others saw it another way, when that way seemed so wrong?

Ichigo sighed.

"That's…that's sick! Those men are…so sick…why has no one done anything?" Orihime asked, her voice full of anger.

"They're too afraid to do anything…but you're so much stronger than them, Orihime. You can make this end. All you have to do is go down there and identify Koen, and I'll identify the other bastard. Then I promise you, you'll never have to see them again."

Orihime thought about this. She had so many emotions swirling around in her head – she did not want to see these men, but at the same time, she would be helping others who may have been hurt by them as well. She did not want these men to roam free ever again! The feeling of being violated was one of the worst she had ever felt, right next to the feeling of Ichigo being killed on top of the dome….

She swallowed thickly and nodded slowly. She would do it, if only to help the others, and to assure they never did it again.

"I'll do it…I don't want to see them, but…it needs to be done. My brother would want me to do it too. I can't…I can't back down now…," Orihime said, and Ichigo's eyes filled with something that could only be read as pride. This girl had endured so much heartache and tragedy, and yet here she was, fighting against it. She never let anything get her down, and Ichigo knew, from the bottom of his heart, that she was made of so much more than any of them were.

She was strong, unbreakable, in the sense of her spirit and her mind. The Espada couldn't do it, and these bastards wouldn't either. All she needed was time, and her friends would be there to support her through everything that the future would bring.

**. .**

Ichigo and Orihime remained quiet after their discussion, her falling back on her pillow, him returning to his chair quietly. Neither of them needed to speak, it was a comfortable silence. Ichigo remained amazed by the auburn haired girl in front of him, Orihime remained horrorstruck over everything that was happening to her.

On the floor next to Chad, Tatsuki stirred. Ichigo smiled for a mere second, she would be turning red when she saw where she fell asleep. He could picture the tomboy freaking out and jumping away from the gentle giant who lied innocently next to her on the floor. They had made a bed out of their jackets and looked really uncomfortable down there. Ichigo would have sniggered under normal circumstances.

"Wha-!" A female voice pierced the air, and Orihime opened her eyelids in wonder. Ichigo's brief smile returned as he watched Tatsuki.

She surveyed her surroundings, her eyes shocked and her mouth hanging open in surprise. Chad, still asleep, grabbed the girl next to him and turned over, causing Tatsuki to flail at the sudden contact. "Teddy…" Chad murmured in his sleep, and Ichigo let out a small snigger at his friend. Chad was definitely a sucker for all this fluffy and cute, so it was no surprised to him he had a stuffed teddy bear at home, nor was it surprising that he thought Tatsuki was it.

Tatsuki looked up at Ichigo, and scowled. "Oi! Stop your sniggering and come help me! His grip it ridiculous!" She whined, her head poking out from under his arm and she attempted to pull herself free from the gentle giant. Ichigo got up, and made his way over.

"Oi, Chado!" He said, kicking his friend in the back. Chad groaned at the kick, and Ishida murmured in his sleep from the sudden noise. "So much thread…!" He said excitedly, causing Ichigo and Tatsuki to snigger at the Quincy. What dorks everyone was in their sleep. The Quincy woke up slowly, eyeing the room wearily. Then, realizing where he was, sprung to his feet, slightly embarrassed.

Ichigo swung another kick at Chad's huge arm, and he moaned again in his sleep, irritated. Ichigo gave him one last kick, a bit harder this time. Chad woke with a start.

"Ichigo! I didn't say be a jerk! I said help me out!" Tatsuki scolded, but Ichigo rolled his eyes, ignoring her.

"What did you do that for?" Chad asked confused, rolling onto his back. Tatsuki was now free and she stood on her feet, dusting herself off. Ichigo smirked at her, and if Ichigo would have been paying attention, he would have noticed Orihime's small smile playing on her lips.

"Chad, you were using Tatsuki-chan as a teddy bear!" Orihime quietly giggled, and Ichigo turned his head to look at the girl. Her laugh! She had laughed, a sound that had seemed to be gone forever. He grinned at her, and she offered a small smile back.

It felt good to hear her laugh and see her smile, even for a brief moment. Tatsuki smiled at her best friend, and Chad looked puzzled for a moment before blushing. "Oh, sorry…,"

"It's fine, Chado. Orihime! How are you, uh, feeling?" Tatsuki asked her beautiful friend. The girl's smile faded for a moment before it returned, offering it to her friend. Tatsuki grinned back, amazed by her.

"I'm okay, considering…I mean, I'm really worried about all the results…but, right now, I'm okay."

"You're always okay, Orihime. I admire that about you." Tatsuki said to her friend, sitting next to her on her bed. She leaned in to hug her friend, who hugged her back.

"I admire you, Tatsuki-chan! Sometimes I feel that if I were more of a fighter I wouldn't get stuck in the situations that I get in." Orihime said quietly in her ear. Tatsuki shook her head, frowning.

"I disagree. I think that because you're not a fighter, it gives you a much different strength from me and Ichigo and everyone else. We just hide behind our tough exteriors, Orihime. You're actually tough, in here." She said, pointing to her heart. "You don't need to hide like we do sometimes. If anyone can handle this and come back from all of this, it's you, you know." Tatsuki said to her friend, and Orihime's eyes filled with tears.

"What's wrong, Orihime?" Tatsuki asked, concerned. Ichigo, Chad, and Uryu looked alarmed by her sudden outburst, but Orihime shook her head.

"I'm actually…so happy. I mean, these aren't sad tears…they're tears of joy! After everything that happened…," Orihime sniffled, wiping the tears away with a smile on her face.

"After everything that happened," Orihime continued, "You're all here with me, being so kind…I have the best nakama anyone could ask for! And I…think…no, I know…that maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday…I'll feel normal again…Arigatou…Tatsuki-chan, Kurosaki-kun, Ishida-kun, and Sado-kun…for being my family…"

They all smiled at the girl, relieved. Her small laughs and giggles had not gone away, though yesterday had stolen them from her. Hearing her talk so confidently, and hearing her small laughs was like a contagious disease that had all of the teens giddy. All of them knew, from somewhere inside them, that though this girl looked like fragile glass, she was unbreakable. If it had been anyone else, they would have their doubts, but because it was Orihime Inoue, they knew.

Everything would be okay.

.

.

That's it for this chapter! 7 and a half pages of pure writing, just for you! The last one was only four, so I think I did pretty damn good this time around, plus it's a super fast update on my part! So points for me! Woo.

Also, thank you for all the lovely reviews! Every time I check a review I'm afraid there's gonna be a flame or something because of the topic of this fic. I mean, going into this, I knew that some people wouldn't want to read due to the content, which is fine, but as a writer I had to take a shot at it. Angst and all, I like how this is turning out! So thank you to all my loyal reviewers and all the ones that favorited this fic!

**Next chapter:** You will get your answers from the test, some more Ichihime (I'll see how much I can cake on, eh?) A bit more Chad x Tatsuki (since it was requested so nicely!) And we will be seeing Koen in the next chapter. Hopefully I can get to why she doesn't remember (if not next chapter, the one after!) And hopefully some more comic relief! I was happy to prive that after all the dark chapters!

Review!


	11. buried

The day passed slowly, but quietly for the Karakura gang. Orihime was allowed to shower and change into some sweats that Yuzu managed to dig up, but was still confined to the room.

Yuzu and Karin didn't know the whole story with Orihime, as Isshin had yet to talk to the privately about the incident. All they knew was that Orihime had been attacked, and that was enough for now. Ichigo didn't know how he felt about his sisters knowing the truth. They were both so naïve, especially Yuzu, and the topic was so dark and awful he just felt his protective instincts kick in at the thought of having to explain that's some men in this world were scum and could do things like that to women.

He shook his head many times that day, and sighed.

Orihime's rape had hit too close to home. She was an important part of his life, albeit sometimes he did not let her or any one else know that. He was well aware that sometimes he went weeks without really seeing her or talking to her, but that didn't mean he wasn't looking after her or that he didn't care. It was quite the opposite.

He cared too much.

Orihime, like all his other friends, had a special place in his heart, but for some reason, she was the one person he felt he had to protect more than anyone else. Maybe it was because she wasn't a fighter, she was sweet and kind by nature, which in itself, was worth protecting. Everyone Ichigo knew was domineering, unafraid of a fight and had a tough demeanor. Orihime was different. She didn't like to fight, she wanted to heal. She wanted to make the world better without hurting anyone.

People argued that she was weak, and sometimes Ichigo knew that he and the others made her feel that way, but it was because he was trying to preserve that unrelenting kindness in her heart. She was strong, so much so that Ichigo knew deep down that she was probably made of more than any of them, but it was a different kind of strength. She had strength of the heart, mind, and spirit, the kind of strength that was so much better than physical fighting. She took a backseat in fighting because she had more to loose than they did.

This whole situation was just a reminder of how strong she really was. How many people could say they were sexually assaulted and had a smile on their face the very next day? Her optimism and heart would give her what she needed to make it out of this, no matter how hard. That thought alone made Ichigo's heart swell with pride for his beautiful auburn haired friend.

As much pride as he felt in her, he felt more hatred, however, to the scum that caused this to begin with.

Ichigo knew that he had a compassion for his enemies – he never wanted to kill anyone he didn't have to, and he was all about second chances.

In this instance, there would be none of that.

He chortled inwardly at how convenient it was that he did not currently have any powers, for it probably would have made this situation worse. He would have blown his top by now and the men responsible would not be walking around the World of the Living as they were currently.

Ichigo's thoughts wondered back to Orihime and why he felt so strongly about her. He already ran the thought off in his head about her kind heart, but he couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it than that.

Orihime wasn't only different from his other friends in how she acted, but she was different in how he treated her in return.

He was gentler with the healer, and though he knew it was because she was kind and sweet, he also knew that she had a way of calming him the way the others didn't.

She was a lot like his mom. He vaguely remembered how he explained to Rukia that his mother was the center of their universe. She was the sun and their entire family revolved around her.

He couldn't help but wonder why he felt that Orihime deserved that same treatment. She was warm and sunny, bright and giving. And though he didn't spend time around her, when it came to her safety, he knew he'd always put her first.

And he felt that that meant something, but he didn't know what, exactly.

* * *

The gang was sitting in the hospital room, having a heated discussion. Though things seemed a little better today, it wasn't a normal day for them by any means. Plans were being made that Orihime couldn't help but feel guilty over. She already felt awful and this topic was making her feel worse.

"Guys, I don't think it's necessary that I stay with you…I'll be fine at home! I don't want to burden any of you-," Orihime started again for the fifth time that day, trying desperately to convince her friends she would be fine to go home once Kurosaki-san said she could do so. She wasn't expecting that to be anytime today and maybe not even tomorrow, but when the time came she did not want to be bothering her friends even more by bunking with them in their homes.

"Stop with that, Inoue. You're staying with someone whether you like it or not. And you're not a burden, so stop saying that." Ichigo said irritated at the young healer. It was so like her to worry about everyone else at a time like this. She needed to worry about herself.

"Kurosaki-kun…I just feel that you guys have done enough for me by being here. I mean, my home is safe…nothing's going to happen there…I don't want you guys to have to go out of your way anymore than you have too…"

"We don't have to, Inoue. We want to; there's a difference. Personally, if you're so worried about us, do us a favor and stay with one of us. We'll all sleep easier knowing your safe."

Inoue bit her lip at that, knowing she lost the argument.

"Orihime, you can't expect us to be okay with you going home by yourself. You're in no condition to be alone right now. You need your family."

Orihime felt touched by that, a small smiling spreading on her face. Her cheeks turned the slightest pink, but the warmth that spread through her was welcome, especially after all of the cold she had felt in the last 24 hours.

"_Kurosaki-kun said I was family…,"_

"Well…okay then." Orihime whispered quietly.

"Okay, so as I was saying, I would love to take Orihime in, I'm just going to have to cancel that tournament I have scheduled next week. My mom would be perfectly fine with it. She's always loved Orihime and with everything that's happened, she wouldn't hesitate to take her in for a bit."

"Tatsuki! You've been training for that tournament for months! You are going." Orihime butted in again, horrified. Tatsuki had been working so hard in her training for that specific tournament that she would feel sick if she missed it because of this.

"Well you're not staying by yourself, Orihime, and I think this is far more important. There will be more tournaments."

"You told me a week ago that this was the biggest tournament of the year. Don't try and make it sound so unimportant! This could be your big break. You should go."

"Tatsuki, if you want to go, one of us could take her in…at least till you get back…" Ichigo started, receiving a worried look from Ishida. He continued on anyway, ignoring the Quincy.

"I'm sure my old man would probably prefer having her here. We have the extra space and he'll probably want to keep an eye on her anyway. It's just convenient. As long as Inoue is comfortable staying with me, I think that would be easiest on everyone."

Orihime stared dumbstruck in front of her, unsure of the turn this discussion just took.

"Well, I guess that's okay, though I'm not really in the mood to go anymore…I'll probably still cancel. My heart's not in it but… I would feel good knowing Kurosaki-san is near. Your old man may be nuts, Ichigo, but he is a good doctor…And you're family is around too, which I think will be good."

"Well then I think it's settled. I'll have my father make a place for you, Inoue."

"Uh, yeah, Kurosaki-kun. I think I'd like that, as long as you're sure…"

"I am."

* * *

Hours passed and the Karakura gang hung around, chatting casually and keeping an eye on their beautiful friend still sitting on the caught. Yuzu had brought down sandwhiches for everyone to eat, and Orihime repeated her thanks multiple times to which Yuzu brushed off with a smile.

"Oh, Inoue-san, it's not trouble at all! We're all just glad you're ok. My dad will be down soon to talk to you."

"Oh..okay, thanks, Yuzu-chan." Orihime said, pulling her knees up to her chest. She rested her head against them, the violated feeling still upon her. It was true that she felt a bit better, but the trauma she went through was going to take her a long time to shake off and forget.

She closed her eyes, her long lashes brushing the swells of her cheek.

Ichigo was watching his auburn haired friend quietly from his chair. Tatsuki had excused herself to use the bathroom and Ishida had excused himself to run home for a change of clothes and some items (Ichigo had a feeling one of these necessary ites was his sewing kit…)

Orihime lied there with her head against her knees, an emotionless look over her face. It appeared like she was trying to be peaceful, but instead had thoughts nagging at her. Tatsuki was right in saying that Orihime was a bad liar; the girl couldn't even lie there expressionless without it being obvious what she was thinking about.

He was about to speak up and ask her how she was doing for the twentieth time that day, when he saw Orihime squeezing her eyes shut tightly as though she were in pain. Concern crossed his face and just as quick as her expression occurred, it disappeared.

Her eyes fluttered open, her cheeks red.

"Inoue? You alright?"

"Y..Yes. Just…thinking, is all. Sorry to worry you, Kurosaki-kun."

"What were you thinking about?" Ichigo asked, suspicious. She was hiding something. That was easy to see.

"Just…the last day, of course, Kurosaki-kun. No matter how much love I feel here with everyone…that doesn't stop me from thinking about it, especially when my eyes are closed…"

"Do…do you remember any of it?" Ichigo grimaced. He didn't know whether he wanted her to remember or not. On one hand, he hated to think a night had been stolen from her where she couldn't recall the one thing that ruined her, but on the other hand, his protective side told him it may be better for her not to be able to recall those images…

"Not really…well…I mean I kind of see flashes of things, but I don't know if those are images or if they're something else…it's all blurry and really confusing… but I'm really curious as to why I don't remember the part when I woke up…I mean, if I woke up, I wasn't under the influence of drugs anymore, or atleast…not enough to stay unconscious so….why can't I remember any of that?"

"I don't know, Inoue…I mean, you definitely were coherent when you woke up…but you did pass out again soon after but I mean…You suffered a really traumatizing night. Your mind could have just blocked it out…"

"Maybe…or maybe something else did…"

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, curious.

"Well, I agree it could have been something put in place to protect me from everything that happened….but it might not have been my mind, or at least just my mind…"

"Wait, so what could have..oh! You mean your Shun Shun Rikka?"

"Yeah, I think that would make the most sense…especially with all the flashes I'm having…"

"I think that seems most logical." Chad butted in, speaking up from the chair he was now relaxing in. "When you first woke, I had that suspicion. I mean, clearly you were in a traumatizing situation, and your Shun Shun Rikka are an extension of your will power…so maybe you willed yourself to forget it all because it was so much to handle, especially in such a fragile state of mind…"

Orihime nodded, her face becoming flushed. "I wanted to forget…" she whispered, morely to herself than the others in the room. "Now the question is… do I want to remember?"

* * *

Sorry this is super late! And yes, it turned out to be somewhat of a filler chapter. I had more written but it's been so long that I felt I needed to post The second half (aka Chapter 12) wil be up soon and that wil have al those things I promised you! Please review and again, I am so sorry! Life's been insane! I appreciate every one though!


	12. eyes wide open

The morning passed by slowly and uneventfully for everyone at the Kurosaki clinic. Everyone had returned from their quick errands, and Orihime even had a few new visitors – Mizuiro and Keigo. They had been unaware of any of the events that had happened until the police showed up. After Koen and Orochi were arrested, Mizuiro and Keigo questioned Tatsuki about what had happened. She had given them a short, clipped explanation, saying Orihime was assaulted and then ran off with Chad and Uryu, leaving the two boys confused and worried for their classmate.

"We were so worried, Inoue-san! We would have come sooner if we had known what had happened! We didn't know what was going on or anything. We're glad you're okay though." Keigo stated, looking uncomfortably at the girl in the cot. Her sweat pants were baggy and only her toes poked through, revealing them curled into the sheets beneath her. She offered her classmates a small smile.

"Arigatou to you both….but could you guys do me a favor? Just…don't mention anything to anyone at school. I'm sure they'll hear some stuff, but just don't mention anything…I'll tell them when I return."

"Of course, Inoue-san, we're not really sure who's all heard about it anyway, or what anyone knows. The party was held by a student from a different school, though it was close. This will be the one time the news isn't coming from my cell phone." Mizuiro commented, sweat dropping awkwardly.

"Thank you, then. And thank you for the flowers, they are beautiful." Orihime said, turning her attention to the window. She began to day dream once again, and Mizuiro and Keigo took it as a sign that they should be going.

"We're going to head out, but if anything happens or if you guys need anything, just call. Feel better, Inoue-san."

"Hai…"

As Keigo and Mizuiro were exiting, Isshin stepped in, clearing his throat. Orihime turned her attention back down to Earth.

"Good afternoon, Inoue-chan. How are we feeling today?"

"I'm okay, Kurosaki-san." Orihime replied, her voice small and meek. This was the moment she had been apparently waiting for.

"Well, I have some news for you, Inoue-chan. The results of the tests are in." His words hung poignant in the air, and the group perked up, attention on Isshin. Tatsuki moved to Orihime's bed, and wrapped her arms around Orihime's arm, offering support. Ichigo also moved to stand beside her, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder to let her know was there too. Ishida and Chad moved by her feet. Everyone formed around Orihime in a protective shield, preparing to block out anything bad that might happen within the next few seconds.

"Yes, Kurosaki-san. What are the results…?"

"Well, I did a standard pelvic exam, and swabbed for DNA and semen. We also took your clothing and swabbed that as well. The only thing found was some hair and a little ripping down where he forced entry…He clearly didn't get very far when my son burst in, so thank Kami for that. No semen or sperm cells have been found whatsoever. I think it's safe to say there is no chance you were impregnated by him, however I do feel better knowing you took the morning after pill just to be safe. As for STDs, you're negative on that front too. This is the best possible outcome of these tests. There was some light bruising on your body, but I'm guessing that's from being thrown around…"

"Oh, thank goodness! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Orihime cried, tears spilling down her face. It was a relief to hear that that man hadn't gotten very far, that he hadn't taken her future from her. She felt unwavering relief to know she hadn't contracted a disease from him, and wouldn't be tied to that man with a child. She felt so much relief that a smile shown through her tears and waves of stress fell off spilled off her shoulders much like her golden hair. She had gotten a little bit of control back in her life. Tatsuki was hugging her and she hugged her back, feeling Ichigo's hand tighten on her shoulder. It was still traumatizing to know that man had touched her like that, had seen the most intimate part of her and had began to take it for himself, but at the very least, she was now free from him after today. Her own demons she would work though, but she knew in time it would come.

"That's great news Dad." Ichigo said hoarsely, the happiness shown in his eyes. He would not have looked at her any differently if there had been bad news, but to know she didn't have to deal with anymore of him was the best thing he'd heard the past two days.

"Yes. The only exception is the AIDS/HIV test, which takes a lot longer to return results. I'll let you now when they come through, but going off the rest of the examination, I have a feeling it's negative as well. I'm happy for that, Inoue-chan. I know today is still going to be hard for you, so let's just get the rest of it out of the way, yeah? We'll go down to the police station as soon as you're ready to go."

"Okay, Kurosaki-san. And thank you so much for everything you've done for me. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you…"

"Now, now, none of that! There will be absolutely no hospital bill for you to worry about that's for sure, and you owe me nothing! This is why I came into this profession, to help people. And Inoue, you are one of those people who are worth helping. I am sorry this had to happen to you, but there is no need for thanks. Consider it payback for dealing with my hot headed son for so long."

"Hey!"

Inoue smiled at the kind man in front of her and said, "Hai." Her eyes shown with appreciation and love, but there was a little amusement in her eyes as well that was directed at Ichigo.

"I think I'm ready to go right now. Let me just comb my hair a little…"

The car ride over had been a quiet one. Orihime lost herself looking out the window again. Ichigo wondered if she would ever return to her talkative self. He knew it had only been a day, but it was so different from her usual rambling that it worried him.

Ichigo insisted he come with to the station, as did everyone else. Only a few people could fit in the car, so Isshin drove Ichigo and Tatsuki along, while Ishida and Chad stayed at the clinic to set up Orihime's bed and getting her clothes from her apartment.

"We're here."

Orihime nodded, fear clinging to her heart. She shook away her thoughts. She had nothing to fear. Ichigo, Tatsuki, and Kurosaki-san were with her and she was safe. The incident was in the past, now she was in charge of making sure it never happened again.

They filed into the station and Orihime felt like everyone was staring at her. She was sure they knew who she was and why she'd come – Isshin had phoned saying they would be in shortly, and the police station was a small one. This was probably one of the bigger happenings in a while, so her case was probably already going around the rumor mill – at least in the police station.

"Orihime Inoue?" A voice called, and she turned to see the police man she saw last night at questioning. She nodded, nervous.

"Hello, I'm Officer Adachi Taro. I believe you remember me from last night. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling a little better, thank you." Orihime replied quietly, to which the officer nodded.

"Well, let's keep this short. I already got all the information I needed from you last night, so unless you remember anything else, we can go right in and do the identifying."

"No, there's nothing else."

"Alright then, follow me."

They walked through a long hall, Ichigo right behind Orihime, Tatsuki taking up the rear. He had the urge to grab her hand and squeeze it in comfort, but suppressed it. Her boundaries had been broken enough the last few days, he wasn't going to contribute. It was odd to him, though, to ever have the urge to hold her hand – it wasn't his usual behavior. He usually shied away from contact, especially with girls. It was always different with Orihime though. He knew she needed him now more than ever, and he knew she would never ask or tell him that, either.

They reached a room with a giant glass window, and behind it was nothing but a white wall. Ichigo knew this was a one way mirror, so that they could see the attackers but the attackers would only see the reflection of themselves.

"Alright, so we're going to file everyone in from the party last night with a few others. Identify who's who as best as you can."

A second later, a chain of people began filling the room one after the other, all looking extremely pissed off. Orihime had her eyes averted, waiting until they were settled into the white room before she took her first and only look at the man who assaulted her.

"Him, right there…with the slightly spiky hair. That's the one who introduced himself to me as Koen."

The officer nodded, confirming what he already knew. "Yes, his identification does state that as his name. We just had to be sure that you knew that so that there was no false conviction. Any one else familiar?"

"Well…." Orihime looked at the two females in the room as well. She didn't know what part they played, but she knew they had been in the bathroom with her that evening, harassing her.

"The two females….I don't know what part they played in everything, but they had attacked me in the bathroom that evening and tried to beat me up."

"Ah, yes. Your friend here had us take them into custody on account of them trying to prevent your rescue. They apparently knew about the whole thing and often help the two men who assaulted you by making sure everything goes smoothly. At least the blonde one does, the two men confirmed that last night. This was the brunette's first time with the whole "operation" as they so call it."

Tatsuki nodded, anger plaguing her features. Her jaw clenched tightly looking at those two women.

Orihime swallowed, disgusted by the people behind the glass. She remembered the two girls well. The image of them cornering her into the bathroom struck a chord with her, as it reminded her of her encounter with Loly and Menoly.

"Which one was the other man? Kurosaki-kun, who was the one that helped Koen?" Her voice was low, and her eyes were attentive on him. Ichigo's temper was begin to flare dangerously high once more.

"That one." Ichigo said, pointing to the man. "His name was Orochi, if I remember correctly. Makes sense."

Orihime nodded, moving closer to the glass until her fingers pressed lightly against it. Ichigo was about to protest, but though against it. He would let her heal her way.

"I don't remember his face at all. Just Koen's, and only a little."

"That's all we needed. We just had to be sure, it's protocol. These two men will be convicted for their crimes. As for the women, we'll question them some more and go from there. Thanks."

Orihime nodded, lost in thought. Her eyes scanned the two faces before her, committing their images to her memory. This would be the only look she would spare them. Then she would look forward, and never look back.

* * *

Sorry it was so short! There will be more soon - and sorry about the wait!


End file.
